Lids Caps Distributor Says UNT Campus Licensors Are Stingy...

We all to the person love our school and want more to know all about it....that's is the main theme you'd get from any UNT student or alum on such marketing projects as having classy looking baseball caps available outside Denton County and to the uttermost parts of Texas. This ain't about some power trip or control sort of crap. Most of that comes from campus but they need to expand our marketing horizons up there because they are sitting on our "OUR" gold mine for whatever reason or excuse they'd come up with.

Are we so wrong for wanting this to happen for our school? It pisses me off that yesterday I counted 6 UTSA caps at my Weatherford Loves and not 1 from UNT; and best I recollect the Alamo City is almost a 6 hour drive away from Denton (if you really stay the speed limit counting pit stops, too).

GMG!

PS: And how many outside Denton and the Mean Green Nation know that single eagle on the front of our UNT cap is not the Philadelphia Eagle?

Edited February 6, 2014 by PlummMeanGreen

I've never understood the Athletic Department's marketing plan. The oldest marketing truism I know is the rule of seven - that is, a person needs to get smacked in the face with your product seven times before they'll do anything. So why on earth would you limit the ability of others to promote your material?

It isn't just merchandising, though. Year after year, the UNT Fight Song never quite made it into the NCAA Football video games. I actually contacted a guy with EA through linkedin and he said that they request it every year, but never get anything back. When I ask the department, they shrug and point to the university. When I ask power brokers at the university, they say they have no idea what I'm talking about and wonder why it hasn't happened. This should have been as simple as emailing a few mp3 files over to EA Sports. But we just could never make it work, and that's a huge missed opportunity.

Then there's the whole question of media coverage. I understand wanting to control your own media, and that's great. You should be able to produce the best quality stuff - you have around-the-clock access to players an coaches. But that doesn't mean that there's no value to reaching out to any media outlet (professional or amateur) who'll take your call and bring them in on the processess. Bring them in, let them in on the process, make them part of your story! If that means you let them in to practices and make them sign NDAs - what would be so wrong with that? Additional media coverage doesn't HURT you, it HELPS!

Finally, If your product is flying below the radar, you simply CANNOT afford to miss out on the power of viral marketing. You've got about 200 active posters on this site who would be thrilled to help market your team if you just asked them, for exactly zero dollars. Just to help out this program and literally become part of its success. Look, I know that GMG is referred to as the "idiot board" by the athletic department, and it is very often an appropriate moniker. But it is also a board full of free and effective assets to promoting your product. If you can't sell the place out by yourself, why on earth would you turn down the help of others?

. . . the Alamo City is almost a 6 hour drive away from Denton (if you really stay the speed limit counting pit stops, too).

Those getting more frequent, eh?

I believe this story to be true. I am from Rockwall and we have an office supply store downtown that also carries tons or collegiate stuff. (Rockwall people love to display where they went to school.) This past summer I wandered into the shop and saw very little UNT gear, and gear from nearly every other division 1 Texas school. When I inquired, I was told what this thread echoes, that UNT licensing was too difficult to work with and they had basically given up on carrying UNT items. As a good UNT student I emailed someone in the branding department (I'll look up exactly who once I get off my phone) and the branding person claimed that UNT was NOT difficult to work with and they would be contacting the store. Fast forward about 6 months later, my girlfriend got me an item from the office suppy store for Christmas and she said when she was in there she inquired about why there wasn't any more UNT stuff, she again was hit from the same story from the store about how the licensing was too difficult to work with and wasn't worth it.

Quite a shame.

One of the on going mysteries, Why is North Texas athletic apparel so difficult to obtain. It is an undeniable truth, and yet no one seems to know how to fix it. I believe even RV has promised that he would address the problem, but that was a long time ago and nothing has significantly changed.

It's not like every other university has the same problem with product distribution. This issue seems unique to NT.

I don't buy the theory that NT is limiting distribution to enhance in-house sales. It just doesn't make any sense on several different levels. Increased royalties would surely offset any decrease in UNT direct sales. Also the advertising value of increasing the brand awareness of NT has to overshadow any concerns over direct sales profitability.

It seems to me that the AD should be able to satisfactorily address this issue even with his greatly overburdened staff. It is an embrassment for a school that expires to be first rate to have this issue for this long.

Those getting more frequent, eh?

Yes, dammit!

+1

if Leliart was bombarded consistently with emails (CC'd to Smatresk) asking in a polite and professional manner why this situation is still occuring and what she would do in ensure it ended, maybe we could get this changed.

I know that GMG is referred to as the "idiot board" by the athletic department,

I guess they haven't heard about glass houses and how their inhabitants should behave...

if Leliart was bombarded consistently with emails (CC'd to Smatresk) asking in a polite and professional manner why this situation is still occuring and what she would do in ensure it ended, maybe we could get this changed.

I'm down.

I guess they haven't heard about glass houses and how their inhabitants should behave...

Guess they don't like being called out on what THEIR TARGET FANS have to say about them.

https://www.change.org/petitions/unt-urcm-ease-on-unt-branding-restrictions-to-increase-accessibility-to-companies-who-wish-to-use-the-logos-for-apparel-and-products

there is this...really simplified, but the idea is there.

I believe this story to be true. I am from Rockwall and we have an office supply store downtown that also carries tons or collegiate stuff. (Rockwall people love to display where they went to school.) This past summer I wandered into the shop and saw very little UNT gear, and gear from nearly every other division 1 Texas school. When I inquired, I was told what this thread echoes, that UNT licensing was too difficult to work with and they had basically given up on carrying UNT items. As a good UNT student I emailed someone in the branding department (I'll look up exactly who once I get off my phone) and the branding person claimed that UNT was NOT difficult to work with and they would be contacting the store. Fast forward about 6 months later, my girlfriend got me an item from the office suppy store for Christmas and she said when she was in there she inquired about why there wasn't any more UNT stuff, she again was hit from the same story from the store about how the licensing was too difficult to work with and wasn't worth it.

Quite a shame.

And there you go. Proof that Plum is (at least in this situation) not imagining things or being paranoid.

And there you go. Proof that Plum is (at least in this situation) not imagining things or being paranoid.

I'm telling you that there are conspiracies happening out there as I post. No imagining that! (Truly being facetious to those who don't know me)

SMU? Check it out!

Flying Worm versus SOW! Check it out!

Ban On Band Days @ UNT ? Check It OUT-TTTTT!

Grand Green Brigade Entrance versus Walking Real Slow To Designated Spots Green Brigade Entrance? CHECK THAT MUTHA' OUT! IT'S HAPPENING RIGHT UNDER OUR NOSES!

JFK? Nuthin' to it!

This list of conspiracies could go on but I will stop it...now!

GMG!

Now yall will pardon me while I go take my 3 o' clock meds of which I'm 18 minutes late? Oh yes, they're working just fine...

_________________________________________________

Scrappy-fucious Son Say:

If a situation looks real and proves by all appearances to be real and in some situations with production numbers (or lack of) that indicates it to be (w/o a doubt) quite real with no ambiguity whatsoever, then it can no longer be classified as, uh, paranoia. (Scrappy-fucious quote from his NY Times Best-Seller)

Edited February 6, 2014 by PlummMeanGreen

https://www.change.org/petitions/unt-urcm-ease-on-unt-branding-restrictions-to-increase-accessibility-to-companies-who-wish-to-use-the-logos-for-apparel-and-products

there is this...really simplified, but the idea is there.

Good idea - but man we gotta change that logo.

For anyone curious, here are the emails sent/received from UNT branding in mid-June...

Hi Rolando,

If you are not the appropriate person I do hope you can forward this email to the person that is responsible.

I am a UNT student, home for the summer in Rockwall, TX. Today I stopped in a local store called Texas Traditions in the Rockwall Square. I was quite surprised to see all of the collegiate gear they had for sale. When I inquired as to why there was hardly anything more than a thought of UNT in the store I was even more surprised to learn that the owner/manager had 4 kids that attended UNT. The owner/manager explained that the little UNT items they do have sell out extremely quickly, but she said that UNT was too difficult to license with. I don't know how true that last statement is, but I would not hesitate to believe it considering how much other different college items I saw in the store.

It may be worth giving the store a ring and seeing if you can make some sort of peace. I'm not sure if you've ever been to Rockwall, but everyone here loves to display proudly what college they attended/root for.

I have gone ahead and put the contact information for the store below. I very much hope to see more UNT items in this store in the near future. I was very fortunate to get a new car this past week, yet I cannot buy a "Mean Green" sticker to proudly display on it.

Texas Traditions Home & Office

texastraditionshome.com

(972) 771-8972

To which he replied,

Thanks Austin. I appreciate you contacting me. I am the appropriate person. We have been working very hard to increase our product availability all across the region. I will follow up with this business. Just so you know we are not hard to license with. I dont know why a business would say that. We have major manufacturers that produce our product covering all price ranges.

Thanks!

R

And my last response,

Hi Rolando,

I appreciate the quick response. My guess would be that they had tried to license with UNT several years ago when maybe the licensing policy was different. They appear to have no trouble getting apparel/accessories from TxState, TCU, A&M, etc. though.

Hope you were able to talk to them and I hope I can purchase some items from there soon!

Thanks again,

As of December, nothing changed. Edited February 6, 2014 by Snowy

Would.

Would.

Right?

For anyone curious, here are the emails sent/received from UNT branding in mid-June...

To which he replied,

And my last response,

As of December, nothing changed.

Email him again and ask why it was not taken care of once again

The only thing I keep finding are the flat billed hats.

And I, uh...... Yeah. I can't wear that.

Email him again and ask why it was not taken care of once again

.....and make sure there is a cc to the new President at the bottom of the page.

In some ways, ex UNT AD Craig Helwig had it right with what he was trying to do. He just didn't have it right with the brandings part and with some of those weird "non-North Texas colors" he signed off to allow the branding group to actually use.

Just like other groups in the USA, our campus will deny there is a problem, let this all blow over and probably not do a damn thing about it, but they should know there is a much larger market out here for UNT gear and headwear than they seem to not want to acknowledge. There is a world out here beyond our favorite college's home town and home county.

35,000 Mean Green fans at the Cotton Bowl Stadium on New Years Day for damn sure didn't all come from Denton and maybe some of them need to understand that glaring fact first and then proceed with solving the problem of which is the theme of this thread.

GMG!

PS: And yes, many of us let it all hang out while we blow and go on GMG.com, but we're all business people or former business people who know how to write a well constructed (and quite diplomatic) message to those who need to hear our message with our goal being to get what we all want to get in this matter.

We don't need to get our torches and march up the cobble stone trail to Frankenstein's castle telling all we're going to burn the barn down to kill a mouse, either.

Edited February 6, 2014 by PlummMeanGreen

Kind of along the same lines, my son brought this home as a fundraiser for his FFA class: http://www.profitplususa.com/page11/24-0z-travel-tumbler.html

Most of the teams I expected (UT,A&M, Mavs, Rangers, etc), but not the one on the top row, 10th from the left. UGH!

Look, I know that GMG is referred to as the "idiot board" by the athletic department, and it is very often an appropriate moniker.

If the shoe fits...

Anyway, yes, I tend to agree with you. That's why I went and did my own marketing last year. Kind of absurd I had to do so.

It makes us look small time that you can get gear from pretty much any school except ours in the metroplex.

Like, in Atlanta, the local sports gear store at the mall carries Georgia Southern gear. A lot. Georgia Southern is at a lower level than us and we have better attendance, are a bigger school and more history. Funnily enough though, at this store, we saw a NT keychain. Anyway...

But we don't have anything similar. Really sickening. It makes us look small time and the marketing department doesn't seem to care that much.

I guess if we keep winning there will be more and more demand. But still, just quite annoying.

"Sigh".....not sure I have the strength to explain this for the ______ time?

Relondo's response to Snowy...

Thanks Austin. I appreciate you contacting me. I am the appropriate person. We have been working very hard to increase our product availability all across the region. I will follow up with this business. Just so you know we are not hard to license with. I dont know why a business would say that. We have major manufacturers that produce our product covering all price ranges.

Thanks!

R

What Relondo is referring to and what Snowy was trying to ask are two complete different things.

Snowy asked why a Retailer(store) is telling their customers that UNT licensing makes it difficult to get gear? But Licensing has nothing to do with a retailer selling products to customers because the Licensing fee is already paid for by the "MANUFACTURER". The manufacturer then sells the product to the retailer(store).

When Rolondo replied that they have "Major Manufacturers that produce our product".. he's correct. But there's one major problem with that. Those major manufacturers don't give a crap about producing North Texas gear due to a lack of volume...for several reasons. They would rather produce products for stores requesting items from a top 25 selling school instead. Oh, they will make their product for the retailer when the retailer orders it, but the retailer is gonna pay dearly for it, and that's the bottom line problem for the retailer, and then ultimately, you the customer.

More than likely the retailer Snowy was dealing with and the guy Plumm was dealing with either don't know what they are talking about or would rather blame it on North Texas as to why they can't get gear rather than to admit they simply don't care or can't afford it.

Those Major Manufacturers Relondo mentioned are "Collegiate Licensed Company"(CLC) licensed manufacturers. CLC handles, approves, promotes and enforces the brands of licensed items for schools they are contracted with, and unfortunately, we are one of those schools. Last time I dealt with them Paul Batchelder was CLC's contact for our athletic department. And Relondo must be their contact for URCM, but Im not for certain on that since its been a few years. Anyhow, dealing with CLC is an extreme pain in the ass.

For instance, to get licensed to make CLC approved products, a manufacturer just starting out must first have an active $1 Million product liability insurance policy just to request an application. And then it's anywhere from 8 months to a year to wait for approval. CLC even goes so far as to discourage you from applying with a statement on their application forms describing in great detail as to why you should expect a denial. And they have their reasons for this which I'll explain later.

And here is why a retailer(store) might get it confused and simply say....."Well, we can't get UNT gear because UNT won't release their branding due to......(fill in the blank with an excuse here)".

And I encourage anyone else who is interested to do this as well.....

Pick a collegiate product that is made with another top selling school's logo,..ex: North Carolina, and find the contact for the manufacturer of that product and call that company. When someone answers ask for sales, and be nice but firm, and tell them your the owner of a business/retailer/store. If they ask the name of the business just make one up since your just looking for a product quote at the moment. Tell them you would like to purchase their product with a North Texas Mean Green logo on it. They will either tell you no, or tell you ok, and then will give you your cost per item and then the minimum number of items you must purchase from them to complete the purchase. And this is when you will understand the whole problem.

As before, I'll give you one of my many examples I ran into when trying to supply Mean Green fans with cool, new and unique products. One item was a Mean Green chrome "AutoEmblem", manufactured out of Colorado Springs, CO.

I call and get ahold of the main dude over product sales. I introduced myself and told him that I had a small online North Texas gear store down in Texas. We had a nice quick chat about their product blah blah blah, then I told him what I wanted. He hesitated for a moment(this was because he wasn't sure if they had a license agreement from CLC to produce North Texas AutoEmblems or not, and was having to look it up to make sure), then tells me...."OK, we can do that". He then say's that their product has a nationally set price, that I must sign an agreement to sell it at that price, which at the time was $8.50 each, and that my cost was $5.00 each,.. and that my minimum order was.....and here's the kick to the nads.............3500 units!!!!!!!!!!

I nearly flipped out. I asked why it was going to cost me $17,500 for a product I wouldn't live long enough to sell all of?

He said "Because first, since we have never done a product for North Texas I have to apply for and get approval from CLC". This was only something like $35 dollars, but it involves paperwork and approval time, which was anywhere from 3 days to a couple of weeks back then.

He then said.."Next, since we have never produced a product for North Texas I have to pay a (injection)mold designer to make the 4-piece mold that will more than likely never get used again, and those things are expensive".

At this point I realized I wasn't going to get my AutoEmblem to sell to y'all. He realized I was dissatisfied and then explained that nowadays they stick mostly to two areas of products to maximize their profits. NASCAR and the top 25 merchandising colleges...Texas, North Carolina, Michigan...ex.

And THAT is the biggest deal and what people like Relondo don't seem to understand? Sure, we are in a licensing agreement with approved major manufacturers around the country...(thru CLC).. but they don't do enough product with UNT to bother over.

Soap Box...

It's my opinion that CLC is a crooked group of people who don't give a shit about the smaller schools or the smaller manufacturer, and we saw a great example of this in pitiful shirts they approved of to be made and sold by one of their bigger manufacturers from Kansas back in '03 or '04 in New Orleans.

After giving me final approval to produce a Sun Belt Conference Champion shirt CLC put the squeeze to my nuts and changed their minds on my approval by fabricated a reason why I had to triple my fee, assuring that I wouldn't be able to sell my shirt that AustinTalon had designed for us here on Gmg.com.

Instead they later approved one of their bigger distributors out of Kansas for that game. That Kansas shirt was about as bland as it could be and it became obvious as to why when I asked the rep there at their table in the team hotel about North Texas and he couldnt even tell me what town UNT was in, and later admitted he had no idea who we were. As it turned out, they were also connected with the N.O. Bowl folks who relies heavily on CLC for products.

Remember the great shirt the Exes had made up that year? The Exes had a local do that shjrt and gave it away rather than sell it, and they went fast. Both the Exes shirt and our shirt blew the Kansas-made shirt out of the water, but CLC wasn't concerned about Quality, they just had to fill a small void for the bowl committee and keep their preferred manufacturers in business. This Is when I realized, as I mentioned earlier, why in their application they tell you about expecting a denial. They don't want mom and pop t shirt businesses interfering with their back-scratching they have going on with the bigger

manufacturers. As a result smaller market schools like UNT and their fans suffer the consequences.

Overall this is why I still maintain NT should go private licensing and control it's own products by using local manufacturers who are more than likely familiar with or even connected to UNT, who would be much more highly motivated to do a better job producing a more quality product than what some carpet bagger out of Topeka would put out.

Off soap box.

Rick

Edited February 7, 2014 by FirefightnRick