As is most often the case in the sports business, one big change begets more significant change. So now that CIS has become U Sports, what’s next?
I caught up with U Sports CEO Graham Brown to find out about the thought process behind the rebrand and what tangible changes could be coming ahead.
Donnovan Bennett: You’ve been on the job for just over a year. Why this change and why now?
Graham Brown: Well, I would have made the change day one if I could have. From the outset I felt like the look of the CIS didn’t not adequately represent what the student athletes were doing and it certainly didn’t represent the direction I wanted to take the organization.
I felt that we were doing such a good job of branding and marketing from a school perspective. Some of the schools were very good at representing their institution on campus, and at the national level we were letting them down a little bit.
A brand is not just something you see on a logo. It should be a feel that you have even if that logo isn’t in the room. I’m weary of comparing us to the NCAA because although there’s a lot that they do right they are very different from us. In the U.S. you are an athlete first; in Canada we want to champion that despite the high level of competition you’re a student first. When kids are recruited in the NCAA you hear them say “I’m going down south” or “getting a full ride.” There is clearly positive language associated with the experience. We want to change the language around choosing to play at “U Sports” institutions and add an appropriate level of prestige and accomplishment. We have an aggressive but supportive board who recognize that the standard of the past is just not good enough. This change today embodies that.
DB: A change like this will probably resonate with future student athletes more than the ones you currently have. How much of the thought process was about making the brand younger?
GB: One hundred percent of it. We did lots of market research but even anecdotally that was a big concern and part of the decision-making process. We need to be—from a vernacular perspective—present. My parents don’t even know how to properly say iPhone. But it’s not for them. We needed to create a brand and marketing strategy around the way people are readily speaking and using language. That’s what all the market research told us. That saying CIS-SIC or CIAU, those things didn’t have staying power in the marketplace. To be frank they were non-existent in the marketplace and not part of the conversation.
You see what a rebrand has done for the COC and it has been a game changer. Even our friends at the CFL realized it was integral to change their brand to meet the times, so we learned from their experience.
DB: The first U Sports national champion will be crowned on national TV at the Vanier Cup in Hamilton. How will a U Sports Vanier Cup be different?
GB: Well, first of all, it’s a world-class facility. Tim Hortons Field is one of the best in North America…. [And] the city of Hamilton is already doing a great job of getting behind the game. Certainly, I’m aware of the challenges behind selling a football game weeks in advance before it is known what teams will be playing in it. But it will be the first opportunity for a variety of people to see our new brand and it will be at the forefront of everything we do around the game. We have a major announcement coming soon about the halftime entertainment act so that will create some momentum soon as well.
DB: With the relaunch of the brand came the launch of a new site. What are your plans digitally moving forward?
GB: As a fan you should envision a day where all stats are uploaded and distributed in real time. If I look up “Graham Brown” the football player I should have everything I need to know about him at my fingertips. We should be doing that for our athletes…. Having a son playing in the OHL, I know as a parent how imperative it is to be able to track these athletes online easily. From a storytelling perspective and a fan-engagement perspective we need to get there. That’s our focus. Having a site full of profiles and human-interest stories that we have in abundance.
DB: So now that you’re made a cosmetic change and that is off of your to-do list, what tangible change is next?
GB: We’ve changed a lot in a year. We’ve moved offices, we’ve changed staff, we’ve re-branded. We’ve added a game of the week in football and we’ll look to expand on that in the future with the benefit of working with the schools and conferences. Now that this is done it’s time to get to work on embodying the new culture. We’ve got lots of excitement and energy from our staff and even great support from the past staff who didn’t choose to come with us. I know the 50 plus [athletic directors] are on board as this new change goes back to the campuses, and I’ll be interested to see how the rest of the staff relates to it. Hopefully, they are just as enthused because we need all of them to sell the message and continue the great work that they’re doing week in and week out. We’re far from there yet, but this is a big and necessary step.