NEWSLETTER :: Volume I, Issue I
Dear Licensees, Retailers, and Campus Members,
Information you can use: That is the goal of this premier edition of the NC STATE Trademark Licensing Newsletter. Hopefully you find the content useful when creating, buying, marketing, or merchandising Wolfpack merchandise so that you sell more product. I realize everyone’s time is important so we won’t be sending out many of these, maybe 2 or 3 a year at most, and we’ll try to keep our focus on things that will move the needle. Perhaps you can share with your sales reps or local store managers so they are aware of what’s going on, and understand the “who-what-and-why” behind some of our efforts. We’ll also try to link to specific websites, so that if you want to learn more about a particular event, plan, or program you can.
This is the premier issue. Let us know what you think.
Go Pack!,
Gregg Zarnstorff
Director
[hr]
NC State Tailgate Championship
The 2012 NC State Tailgate Championship at Carter-Finley is a joint effort by NC State Athletics, NC State Campus Enterprises, Wolfpack Sports Properties, and The Licensing Resource Group. Our mission is to promote fan support of Wolfpack football and to improve game day enjoyment for all.
It’s a season long competition that has three finalists selected in one of six different parking lot areas which are then voted on by fellow fans to crown a Game Day winner.The six game day winning tailgates are then entered into a post season runoff in which a Season Tailgate Champion team is crowned on December 15th.
Tailgaters are judged on three main criteria: Overall Theme & Spirit of Tailgate, NC State Wolfpack Branding, and Responsible Tailgating. Photos of each of the three tailgate party finalists are shown during the game on the scoreboard and fans are directed to vote for their favorites via go.ncsu.edu/ncstatetailgate or from facebook.com/ncstatetailgate.
Through 5 home games we have already seen a difference in fans elevating their tailgating, learning from the previous finalists and winners what it takes to be considered the best: Lots of Wolfpack pride and attention to the details. The difference in becoming a finalist can come down to whether your tailgate chairs are merely red, or whether their NC State branded so we believe we are starting to move the needle at retail.
Follow the Championship on facebook and twitter!
[hr]Youth Trademarks
While the official registered trademarks of the Strutting Wolf (Tuffy) and Wolf Head have history and tradition behind them and fit well with students, alum and older fans, the aggressiveness of these trademarks do not lend themselves to younger fans and family members of the Wolfpack.
The Youth Mascots were created for NC State by three College of Design students that with the goal of providing kid-friendly images that can be translated into a variety of products including youth clothing, books, toys and other novelties. Unlike the registered trademarks, these copyrighted designs allow for more flexibility in poses, actions and props. For those licensees who have designers on staff we have approximately 40 different base poses in Adobe(R) Illustrator files that allow for more variety. Some files can be seen at the licensee portal of Trademarxonline, but for a more comprehensive file contact trademarks@ncsu.edu.
Wolfpack FanCave Challenge
We are proud to announce the first ever Wolfpack FanCave Challenge, set to launch in December. Students, alumni, and fans are invited to submit photos of their “FanCaves”, which could be their room, garage, basement, office, etc. The contest will have three categories: On campus student, off campus student, and alumni/fan. We will then narrow down the submissions to three finalists and then have the public vote for the overall winner in each category via facebook.com/wolfpackfancave.
We hope to create interest in NC State branded home decor with fans, increase fan spirit, and create positive PR. Submissions will be judged in three categories: Overall Theme & Spirit of FanCave, NC State Wolfpack Branding, and Creativity/Aesthetic Appeal.
The contest will be promoted prior to Christmas, with official entries accepted starting January 7th. Fan voting will start February 7th and continue for 10 days. The winners and runner ups will be crowned February 19th at one of the last home basketball games. Retailers please contact the License Resource Group for Point-of-Purchase posters supporting the program.
Red Fridays
Every Friday is Red Friday at NC State, a day to show your Wolfpack pride and make the campus a more spirited environment. Student government officers and special guests have weekly giveaways for those who are spotted wearing red on campus. Show your colors at the right place and time, and students could take home buttons, T-shirts, decks of cards and other assorted NC State swag. The giveaways are a team effort with University Communications, Campus Enterprises, Athletics and other departments.
[hr]
Men’s Basketball
Picked to win the ACC, and currently Ranked 6th in the nation, this year looks to be an exciting one.
December 4th will find NC State in New York’s Madison Square Garden for the Jimmy V Classic taking on Connecticut.
Then on January 26th ESPN College Game Day will be in Raleigh at the PNC Arena for the matchup between NC State and UNC-Chapel Hill.
It’s been a long time for our fans and they are hungry.
[hr]
Contact Information
Gregg Zarnstorff, Director
Trademark Licensing
Campus Enterprises
NC State University
Raleigh, NC 27695
PH: 919-515-2146
gregg_zarnstorff@ncsu.edu
web.ncsu.edu/trademarks