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Act I - The Leak
On April 30, we were told that the logo would be rolled back in the near future due to direct backlash from donors, alumni, and the general public by friend of the blog, Senator Giggity.
As I understand it, the "Merrill" USF logo will be rolled back in the near future as a direct result of backlash from donors, alumni and the general public.
— Bort (@SenatorGiggity) April 30, 2019
On Friday, our very own emeritus Collin Sherwin justified that tweet and gave us more interesting information that it would happen sooner than we thought.
BREAKING: USF will kill the new logo on Monday. The @USFAthletics “U” logo will be used university-wide. The Zimmerman Agency headed by USF BoT member Jordan Zimmerman will be active in the transition.
— Collin Sherwin (@CollinSherwin) May 3, 2019
Act II - The Memes
Brilliant use of “Friday at 4:45ing” the information! This affirmation was met with happiness, glee, triumph, and MEMES!
Mr. Rocky, I don’t feel so good. pic.twitter.com/TlJq0hvsUL
— Anthony Vito (@anthonyvito_) May 4, 2019
— The Daily Stampede (@StampedeSBN) May 3, 2019
— Chris (@cgillotte) May 3, 2019
USF is the Sonic the Hedgehog of the AAC Cinematic Universe https://t.co/5NapjkKcdV
— Fear the Wave (@FearTheWaveBlog) May 3, 2019
#BillsAreDying like the new USF academic logo is dying on Monday. Nobody tell the Legislature how much we spent on this, ok? pic.twitter.com/hTmPSD5KIL
— Andy (@andytaylor6) May 4, 2019
— Steeg (@RobertSteegLife) May 3, 2019
Does this mean I can get a refund for purchasing a @USF polo with the new logo? @StampedeSBN
— Josh Ciccone (@cervezagod) May 4, 2019
#usf administrators distancing themself from that trash logo pic.twitter.com/ogdkJqauB9
— James Callihan (@FLman_jcalli) May 6, 2019
I appreciate that they fought hard because having this USF logo tattoo removed would have hurt like hell.
— OneBullFan (@BxTx76) May 3, 2019
What brought you more joy?
— milquetoast dejour (@not__heath) May 6, 2019
No other news outlets jumped on it. ABC Action News recorded a quick segment on the Saturday night news citing “the USF Bulls Blog the Daily Stampede” with the information.
Some folks were skeptical however.
You sure this is legit?? I cant find anything besides a blogger site that says the new logo is going away
— Nathan Batts (@usfrivrskeetr14) May 6, 2019
Act III - The Affirmation
Then on Monday, it was confirmed. USF sent faculty, staff, students, and alumni an email announcing the official change to the iconic U, penned by Joe Hice himself, and word spread quickly.
Full statement from USF on the logo change. pic.twitter.com/jkSkehzRjO
— Collin Sherwin (@CollinSherwin) May 6, 2019
Then the floodgates opened. Every news outlet you can think of poured out articles about the logo change. The Tampa Bay Times, FOX 13, Creative Loafing, ABC Action News, 10 News, bizjournals.
(They either didn’t or couldn’t credit Collin or TDS, but you know what, it doesn’t matter, we don’t hold grudges or anything.)
P.S. Thanks Joey!
The #USF logo fail comes at a cost of about $1 million. Our story on the development first reported by @CollinSherwin https://t.co/cobGRkVlvT
— Joey Knight (@TBTimes_Bulls) May 6, 2019
The reactions from the public of the reversal have been more than positive, they’ve been overwhelming. It’s funny how the public reacts when you include them, and not try to force something new that nobody wants.
USF unveiled their United campaign, to usher in a new era as a preeminent research university. The problem is, nobody was asked what the new era should be. Donors, alumni, faculty, staff, students weren’t a part of this discussion; at least not entirely or publicly. The irony is, this new logo created more division than ever. Uniting under the iconic U brings academics and athletics together, actually creating a sense of unity.
Today’s announcement of @USF adopting the @USFAthletics Iconic “U” logo campus wide is a huge step forward to erase the dividing line between us and them. We are one University. #GoBulls
— (@USFironbull) May 6, 2019
On the downside, there’s a significant sunk cost and a stain on public relations for USF. It absolutely is the right call to rip off the bandage and make the right decision; but a million-dollar mistake stings.
This is not about a logo. It's about a failed attempt to tell our university's story In short, this rebrand and rollout violated so many basic rules of public relations and public affairs I fail to grasp how professionals with experience in the field were the ones in charge.
— Doc Mastracchio (@DocMastracchio) May 6, 2019
The somewhere between $400k-1MM spent here going to a smarter, better social media strategy would have done world’s more for the school than this.
— Collin Sherwin (@CollinSherwin) May 6, 2019
Hire some people that are really good on Twitter and IG and LET. THEM. GO. https://t.co/gYiIIBGCIf
We wouldn’t be bulls if we didn’t take risks. Even if we are wrong and have to turn back, we grow and we learn.
#USF Brand Announcement pic.twitter.com/gEWN5V9vRv
— USF (@USouthFlorida) May 6, 2019
We’ve learned, all right.