Collegiate Licensing Company Names Top Selling Universities

[Harry]

ATLANTA, Ga., (August 12, 2013) – Collegiate Licensing Company, LLC (CLC), an affiliate of IMG College, today announced its annual list of top-selling institutions and manufacturers. These rankings represent royalties reported July 1, 2012 through June 30, 2013 on all collegiate merchandise sold on behalf of CLC-represented institutions.

The retail marketplace for college licensed merchandise in 2012 was estimated at $4.62 billion. Royalties generated from the sale of officially licensed collegiate products go back to the institutions to support various student and campus endeavors, therefore it is important for consumers to ensure the merchandise they purchase is officially licensed.

“CLC is proud to work on behalf of our partner institutions to connect the more than 173 million passionate college fans to the brands they love,” said Cory Moss, Senior VP and Managing Director of CLC. “Licensed merchandise provides fans an outward expression of their college traditions and spirit. As we kick off another school year, we look forward to assisting our partner institutions in expanding their brand protection, management, and development initiatives to grow the collegiate licensed segment of the marketplace in conjunction with collegiate licensees and retailers.

Notes of interest:

• This marked the eighth consecutive year The University of Texas at Austin ranked No. 1 in CLC’s fiscal year-end rankings.
• The University of Louisville moved from No. 32 to No. 25 due in part to the success of its basketball National Championship licensing program.
• Amongst top-20 institutions, Texas A&M University jumped from No. 19 to No. 12, due in part to its athletic success and the excitement of moving to a new conference. The University of Arkansas gained four positions to finish the year in CLC’s top-10 rankings for the first time since becoming a CLC partner institution in 1988.

Read more: http://www.clc.com/News/Archived-Rankings/Rankings-Annual-2012-13-rankings-section.aspx

[MeanGreenTexan]

(68.) Texas State University- San Marcos

(74.) James Madison University

(75.) Montana State University

Even D1-aa teams, that win, show up... JUST. WIN.

[Stan R]

So we're not in the top ten then?

[oldguystudent]

So we're not in the top ten then?

[gangrene]

(70.) Louisiana at Lafayette

[MDH]

There is absolutely NO WAY that Texas St outsells Fresno St.

[NT91]

And NT is what #?

[PlummMeanGreen]

Again, Texas State-SM had a unique situation to spike their sells and that mainly because they had a dramatically different lettering change when they changed their school name from "SWT" to "TSU". Now if you are an alum or fan of their program how many are going to show up at their expanded stadium against a never before in their history NCAA D1 foe like Texas Tech with "Southwest Texas State or SWT" on their team's sports gear? Also, TSU-SM probably has someone on-campus who is hustling like crazy with the CLC officials to see that their gear is easily accessible to their fans and alums, too.

Out of all our entire UNT constituency (students, alums, home city/county/DFW/etc) which is much larger than TSU-SM's, I do find it difficult to believe that UNT is not on the radar. Still, on the other hand wherever I go in most of the West O' Plex (that's what they call us out here in Fort Worth and west of it), you cannot find North Texas gear to purchase hardly anywhere so how do we add to our CLC numbers when that is the case? Now whose fault that is we will probably never know and if we did the guilty party would probably do or say what our crack (or on crack) politicians of Washington D.C. today say as in................"I (or we) have no idea what you are talking about or............we plead the 5'th." (Wonder what some of them will be saying from their jail cells)?

GMG!

Edited August 15, 2013 by PlummMeanGreen

[wardly]

For a University that offers a degree in Marketing, we sure don't know how to do it.

[KRAM1]

Believe it or not...one reason is the "unique" color of green the university selected for its branding program. Note I said the university, not the athletic dept. it is not a standard color that folks see...and it is not the standard kelly green. To produce stuff in the official color creates challenges for producers and requires a decent size minimum order...yep, even Nike has to specially produce the stuff.

The minimum order thing works to keep local merchants from being able to purchase as the history has been that UNT folks don't buy UNT mocha dies. Couple the poor history of buying by the fans and students with the fact of the special green color and you seem to have a perfect storm.

Like I have tried to say before...there is often much more to the situation than meets the eye. And, while these sort of challenges seem to be finally disappearing around the university, it will still be awhile before all have been beaten down. The younger fans have absolutely no idea what this university used to be I terms of support for athletics and for students for that matter. While many many challenges still exist they are being removed whenever possible. As an example, the Alumni Association will soon ink a new and comprehensive "support agreement" with the university that is a win-win, in my opinion, for both the Alumni Association AND the university. This would not have been possible even five years ago. And, even as the ink is not even dry on the new agreement, we are already seeing benefits and increased cooperation in many areas.

So, here's hoping that when the current branding agreement expires that all affected parties will get a say and that the green color used will be a more recognizable and "normal" shade of green...like say, kell green. I doubt many folks would even notice the difference, but those that produce items in that color will definitely notice!

[KRAM1]

For a University that offers a degree in Marketing, we sure don't know how to do it.

Agree to some extent here with you Wardly, but only if it were that easy! Ha!

[PlummMeanGreen]

Out of the last 15 or so years UNT has many of those years had record-breaking freshmen classes (no small number with those classes, either, folks) and if you've ever been in the University Book Store or Voertmans first part of those Fall semesters you'd think you were in the middle of a stampede of new students (and their families) buying UNT gear left and right. I don't get it with CLC's numbers at all concerning UNT.

And FWIW.....I don't think our pistons are running in sync from our end of it with this particular problem, either. Just sayin' what many I know are and have been thinkin' for awhile now, that's all.

GMG!

Edited August 15, 2013 by PlummMeanGreen

[KRAM1]

Out of the last 15 or so years UNT has had record-breaking freshmen classes (no small number, folks) and if you've ever been in the University Book Store or Voertmans first part of those Fall semesters you'd think you were in the middle of a stampede of new students (and their families) buying UNT gear left and right. I don't get it with CLC's numbers at all concerning UNT.

And FWIW.....I don't think our pistons are running in sync from our end of it with this particular problem, either. Just sayin' what many I know are and have been thinkin' for awhile now, that's all.

GMG!

You are correct, Plumm....hard to believe.

[GoMeanGreen1999]

Agree to some extent here with you Wardly, but only if it were that easy! Ha!

Oh it appears to be easy at places just not here. Never really has been though.

[EagleD]

"Oh no. We suck again!"

[TheFranchise]

Out of the last 15 or so years UNT has many of those years had record-breaking freshmen classes (no small number with those classes, either, folks) and if you've ever been in the University Book Store or Voertmans first part of those Fall semesters you'd think you were in the middle of a stampede of new students (and their families) buying UNT gear left and right. I don't get it with CLC's numbers at all concerning UNT.

And FWIW.....I don't think our pistons are running in sync from our end of it with this particular problem, either. Just sayin' what many I know are and have been thinkin' for awhile now, that's all.

GMG!

Food for thought, though . . . Selling out of gear at Voertman's and the Univeristy Book Store is one thing. I'm sure that's the case every semester, especially in the fall. However, there's a big difference with that and what the other universities in Texas here have going for them: OUTSIDE marketing.

I was in Target the other day and wandered into their "officially licensed apparel" area. What did I see? The usual suspects: Texas, Texas A&M, TCU (this wasn't the case just five years ago, had to look pretty hard to find Frog gear) Oklahoma and Texas Tech, even . . . SMU. That's when I did a double-take. SMU? Keep in mind this was a far-west Tarrant County Target. Was there any hint of anything UNT? Of course not.

But this is the case with pretty much every collegiate apparel-seller across the Metroplex. Lids? Nah, you rarely find anything UNT there. HatWorld? See also: Lids. Gameday Connexion at the Grapevine Mills Mall? Nope. *sad side note about that is that their owner, whom I've spoken with and asked about it, is a UNT alum.

I don't get it, man.

-- The Franchise

[PlummMeanGreen]

Food for thought, though . . . Selling out of gear at Voertman's and the Univeristy Book Store is one thing. I'm sure that's the case every semester, especially in the fall. However, there's a big difference with that and what the other universities in Texas here have going for them: OUTSIDE marketing.

I was in Target the other day and wandered into their "officially licensed apparel" area. What did I see? The usual suspects: Texas, Texas A&M, TCU (this wasn't the case just five years ago, had to look pretty hard to find Frog gear) Oklahoma and Texas Tech, even . . . SMU. That's when I did a double-take. SMU? Keep in mind this was a far-west Tarrant County Target. Was there any hint of anything UNT? Of course not.

But this is the case with pretty much every collegiate apparel-seller across the Metroplex. Lids? Nah, you rarely find anything UNT there. HatWorld? See also: Lids. Gameday Connexion at the Grapevine Mills Mall? Nope. *sad side note about that is that their owner, whom I've spoken with and asked about it, is a UNT alum.

I don't get it, man.

-- The Franchise

Well, that makes about 200,000 (give/take) northern Texas UNT alums who don't get it and have never gotten it, either.

As we know, others of our entire UNT family who buy our gear don't necessarily go to athletic events.

A Sad Story I'd Bet Many Others of You Have Also Experienced One Very Similar:

Years ago, I was out at what is now the Sports Authority across from Hulen Mall. The previous year they had 2 or 3 racks full of North Texas gear from which I bought a couple of articles and apparently UNT sales had gone very good but then the next year.............NO UNT SPORTS GEAR!

I asked a young lady where the North Texas gear was and she said: THERE IS NOT ENOUGH INTEREST IN NORTH TEXAS FOR US TO STOCK IT! I told her I felt she may be wrong about that and told her about the 2 or 3 racks that had been at this very store the year before that apparently had sold out and you know what? It almost seemed as if what I had said actually pissed her off. Then ....A BRIEF MOMENT WITH THAT SPORTS AUTHORITY SALES STAFFER OF SOME UNT EDUCATING: I told her we had the largest of all Texas-based universities group of alums than any other single school including UT and TAMU and she looked at me as if I didn't know what the heck I was talking about. All this taking place less than 50 minutes from the Denton City limits, too.

MORAL OF STORY?

What all this above means to me is that North Texas needs someone of an official capacity educating our very D-FW area sports gear stores managers, corporate buyers, shoppers etc, etc, etc, even if you have to bring them & their families to an Apogee Stadium luxury suite or prime seats (if available) on a Game Day to wine, dine and entertain them. it is still so amazing how you can catch flies with honey (and an open bar, too).

Addendum: I was told that it was the corporate buyers who call on all these sports gear franchise stores who made the big and final decisions on which schools to puff or promote with their respective gear.

GMG!

Edited August 16, 2013 by PlummMeanGreen

[gksmith]

Don't make me go into the "polished turd" argument again.

UT and so many others will put out a polished turd with a logo and people will buy it.

Sorry. I don't have enough disposable income to buy polished turds - even if it is NT. If I want it I want quality and useful items.