Red Means Go – Somebody Gets It!

Campus News General Media NC State Administration30

RedMeansGo

If you’re an avid NC State fan you may have missed it.

Perhaps you walked away from the television trying to beat your head against the wall after another of Tom O’Brien’s players was injured. Or…maybe you were in the stands during our televised games this season concentrating on a return on investment analysis of your Lifetime Rights If you were in the stands maybe you were so engrossed in the game that you were watching substitution patterns instead of the drivel on the jumbotron (which probably wasn’t audible anyway with Carter-Finley’s antiquated sound system).

Regardless of your focus on Wolfpack football games, you also may not watch cable television or read national magazines like Time, Newsweek, Sports Illustrated. Maybe you don’t have a kid considering college so you’ve ignored US News and World Report’s “Best Colleges” issue. Or you don’t go to any website other than SFN – for which I will not faulty you – including newsandobserver.com, Charlotte.com, GoPack.com or Facebook or even YouTube for that matter.

If you’re among the living, by now you’ve probably seen the first pieces of NC State’s new marketing campaign branded “Red Means Go”. The campaign was put together by the university’s (not athletics) marketing staff working with a Charlotte-based marketing and PR firm, Luquire George Andrews and it is absolutely FANTASTIC.

This campaign rocks! It portrays NC State as not only ‘cutting-edge’ but fast-paced and generally ‘cool’ while simultaneously exhibiting some pride and confidence without turning people off with excessive bravado or arrogance. (Can you tell I like it?)

Heck, when was the last time NC State took ANY official stance that was brash, self-promoting and unapologetic? Red Means Go is edgy and, God knows, it’s nothing like those other miserable university halftime TV spots that have a perfectly racially balanced group of students sitting under a tree..or worse yet, some dude spending 30 seconds telling you how wonderful he is because he studied tree frogs in Angola while you were at the frat house. (Back when NC State provided students with an enjoyable social experience that included a decent greek community; but, we will leave that for another time.)

In light of the University’s many mis-steps that get criticized across the world wide web, we think it is important to highlight something that is being done the right way. We want to make sure that everyone experiences one of the best projects to come out of West Raleigh in a long time. You may not believe it…but, NC State is actually saying good things about NC State! And, IN PUBLIC nonetheless!!

All of us know that NC State University is THE institution of the people of North Carolina. NC State executes its mission with a keen focus on making tangible differences in people’s lives through real-world applications of our research, teaching and partnerships. NC State walks the walk while other universities get public credit because they are better at talking the talk. Now, at least some people at NC State seem determined to make sure that the rest of the world recognizes NC State, which is the first step to the broader population and market appreciating the values of degrees.

They are right … the smart are impatient, eager, tenacious. NC State is where higher learning becomes H-I-R-E learning. This campaign makes me proud to be an alum and I hope that they people at NC State will accept my appreciation and applause for this great work.

The following are a few important links in case you’ve missed them. We ask that you do some surfing and also pass this entry along to your friends. We think it is important that SFN drives traffic through these sites to help re-inforce the strength of the NC State online community. (Just in case anyone has forgotten)

(1) Red Means Go – http://www.ncsu.edu/redmeansgo (see the whole campaign and get some desktop backgrounds and other things)

* NC State on YouTube – http://www.youtube.com/ncstate (has tons of videos!!)

* http://www.ncsu.edu/featured-stories/community-of-scholars/august-2008/tv-spots/index.php – HOLY COW www.ncsu.edu IS A LOT BETTER THAN IT USED TO BE!

It’s interesting to see how many Wolfpackers aren’t afraid of the internets like the folks in our Athletics Department – more than 1,000 people have joined the “Red Means Go” group on Facebook. (Please don’t ignore our FaceBook entry from April.)

Speedbump TV:

Gateway TV:

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Campus News General Media NC State Administration

30 Responses to Red Means Go – Somebody Gets It!

  1. leewolf 10/02/2008 at 6:47 AM #

    I have seen more than a few people walking around campus with red t-shirts that say “The autobahn of innovation”. I like this marketing campaign a lot better than the “We all go to NC State” or some of the others in the past. Kudos to the administration for getting this one right.

  2. Sw0rdf1sh 10/02/2008 at 7:08 AM #

    Agreed. It is an edgy, hip, marketing strategy for the University. I like it too, although I will always have (beaten) in my head that we all went to NC State.

    …and I’m confusing my four year old on the Red Means Go thing, but it shouldn’t take long to cure him.

  3. Rick 10/02/2008 at 7:22 AM #

    I tried to join the Statefansnation facebook page but hav not been approved for membership.

    SFN: You will be approved. I only go on it about once a week. I need to be more diligent.

  4. RAWFS 10/02/2008 at 7:31 AM #

    The last time I saw a good ad for NC State? “Knowledge is the prey…we are the hunters.”

    Having a wife that’s in advertising helps a bit here, and she said that she’s probably seen 75-100 university image ads and that the “we are the hunter” was perhaps the best she’d ever seen.

    Regarding “Autobahn of innovation” — it’s a good idea, but, apparently someone forgot that Clemson has opened CU-ICAR in conjunction with BMW.

    The Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) is an advanced-technology research campus where academia, industry and government organizations engage in synergistic collaboration.

    With more than $200 million in commitments, CU-ICAR represents the ultimate public/private partnership, directly fueling a knowledge base critical to the automotive industry.

    Ooops. Probably not the best slogan to employ when an adjacent state has just opened a major automotive research center working in concert with one of the world’s leading car manufacturers, that happens to be German. I fully expect the Clemson folks to give us some crap for doing that, especially considering that NC State has nothing like ICAR.

  5. Texpack 10/02/2008 at 7:48 AM #

    When Red Wilson, I believe, was the football coach at Duke their marketing slogan was “Red Means Go and Go Means Duke Football.” Looks like we hijacked a 30 year old Duke Football marketing slogan.

  6. tmb81 10/02/2008 at 7:53 AM #

    The slogan is catchy…and familiar. Duke football used this in the early 1980s as a slogan tied to their head coach Red Wilson. He’s the pre-Spurrier Wilson (once removed), not the post Spurrier Wilson (Barry).

  7. TampaPack 10/02/2008 at 8:01 AM #

    Awesome campain, as the author said above it makes me proud as an alumni. Perhaps even as shocking as something this “cutting edge” coming from west Raleigh, is the link to the V Foundation as “Continuing a Legacy” under the Knowledge heading. I never thought I would see that from anything formally related to NC State.

    I believe athletics will turn around, if we can stay healthy. Promoting the outstanding education now and reinforcing where we all came from (and actually got jobs after college) is great. Just maybe the college is returning to times more similar to our glory days? One can hope, right??

  8. PhilipRiversWannabe 10/02/2008 at 8:29 AM #

    The best one i have seen so far is The yellow brick road is really red.

  9. IMFletcherWolf 10/02/2008 at 8:40 AM #

    I like this campaign. Kudos to the university for getting this one right.

  10. Classof89 10/02/2008 at 8:52 AM #

    Okay, one beef…how in the heck is “prosthetics for pets” cutting edge? I have a mental image of Paris Hilton with a peg-leg chihuahua in her purse…

  11. slim 10/02/2008 at 8:52 AM #

    Texpack is right. I was a kid in Durham 30 years ago, and I remember the campaign well. While our family was and remains avid Wolfpackers, we had season tickets during that year. Steve Spuirer was Wilson’s offensive coordinator, I think.

    The campaign is good but the tagline (Red Means Go)could be seen as straight rip-off from that campaign. Probably doesn’t matter, as only old guys that grew up in Durham and are NC State fans (like me), or old Duke football fans (I think there is still about 27 in southwest Durham) will likely put two and two together.

  12. TampaPack 10/02/2008 at 9:05 AM #

    ^ The yellow brick road is also my favorite by far. So good on so many levels…

  13. PAJ 10/02/2008 at 10:02 AM #

    I must be an old guy then (I’m 43). The first thing that came to mind when I was this was the old Red Wilson regime at Duke.

  14. old13 10/02/2008 at 10:52 AM #

    That’s all well-and-good. But when the administration (especially in the MOST visible area to the general public – athletics) does not follow through with substance to back-up the fluff, what’s the point!

  15. ruffles31 10/02/2008 at 11:03 AM #

    I do like the new campaign. My favorite NCSU commercial was the one where the kid says “I wish I could see the future.”

  16. packpigskinfan23 10/02/2008 at 12:00 PM #

    Great commercials! I have been waiting for SFN to say something about them.

    Great blog over all.

    And who really cares if its ripped off from Duke football? It makes more sense the way we use it anyways…

  17. Trip 10/02/2008 at 12:10 PM #

    The new campaign is awesome. Makes me feel proud to go here.

    Next up: Get an awesome basketball intro video. I nominate that you just replay this 2006 video with the new players. (And maybe delete the really fake looking basketball bouncing part) Last years was meh.

    You can NEVER have enough wolves or howling in a sports video.

  19. WV Wolf 10/02/2008 at 2:14 PM #

    I like the new campaign too. I think it helps get across the point that you can actually do something with your degree from State. I just looked around some on the website and it’s really nice to see the spotlight put on some of the incredibly brilliant people on campus.

    Just curious, does anybody know who “not quite Dennis Miller” is in the ads?

  20. Iremember87 10/02/2008 at 3:21 PM #

    I’m 43 as well. Glad to see I’m not the only one who remembers the “Red Means Go” campaign. Looks like we may get some ribbing for ripping off Duke. I remember the bumper stickers and stadium cups from their campaign.

  21. StateFans 10/02/2008 at 3:50 PM #

    ^ You won’t get any ribbing from Duke fans unless you happen to live in New Jersey and run across one of the dozen or so fans who follow football enough to remember.

  22. john of sparta 10/02/2008 at 4:38 PM #

    OMG….first the TarHoles start wearing Duke Blue…
    and now…the Pack steals “Red Means Go” from Duke.
    doesn’t anybody “Google” anymore?
    besides that:
    Red Means Go has so many double meanings.
    Go/leave after halftime? like last time.
    Go as in “long bathroom line”?
    this fails on every level.

  23. OwenDorm83 10/02/2008 at 5:55 PM #

    Texpack said:

    When Red Wilson, I believe, was the football coach at Duke their marketing slogan was “Red Means Go and Go Means Duke Football.” Looks like we hijacked a 30 year old Duke Football marketing slogan.

    First thing I thought of when I saw the slogan. Great minds think alike. Must be an Owen thing…

  24. MrPlywood 10/02/2008 at 7:38 PM #

    I don’t think the Duke campaign is much to worry about. Duke may have trademarked it, but even if they did it would be for the entire slogan. A Google search of “Red Means Go” turns up a bunch of references, but none in the first 10 pages about Duke football or Red Wilson (not counting the recent stories that are commenting about the State campaign). Even book titles are not automatically entitled to trademark protection.

    Just because there is prior use of a slogan or name does not mean that a campaign cannot be successful. Check out the Cisco/Apple fight over the name “iPhone”… it’s pretty clear how that one worked out for Apple.

    Anyway, State’s campaign is marketing the university, not the sports program. And they are marketing to a national (and international?) audience, the vast majority of whom have most likely never heard of Red Wilson (and those Dookies that do remember probably wish they hadn’t). If the marketing dept. runs with the “Red Means Go” slogan and can “make it their own”, then more power to them. I like what I’ve seen so far…

  25. Primewolf 10/02/2008 at 11:18 PM #

    This is far better than the fire suit research and students building a house for humanity. Generally our ads have been pathetic.

    Good job. I agree with SFN accolades.

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