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| Logo courtesy of Clemson University |
Over the past three months - since Oct. 3 really - the Paw has been on display seemingly on a 24-hour loop on ESPN. That night, Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers football team knocked off national brand Notre Dame following a full day of Clemson advertisement. College GameDay, the pregame show of all pregame shows, originated from Clemson's campus, and despite an incoming hurricane, the Tiger faithful showed up in droves for the show. There was belly-flopping in the mud and "sloppy body" shirtless guy showing off his, uh, sloppy body for the second time on GameDay.
But it was a four-letter acronym that caught fire across the country.
"B.Y.O.G."
Following the 24-22 thrilling win, Swinney was in true form for his postgame on-field interview. To paraphrase, he told his team that he could give them scholarships, meals, housing, nice equipment and gear, but for this game he wanted them to "B.Y.O.G. - Bring your own guts!" Swinney later showed off his dance moves, doing the "Whip and Nae-Nae," and the national media ran with clips of the fun-loving, over-the-top coach on a weekly basis.
Of course it helped that Clemson kept winning and Dabo kept dancing. And a week later he went on a rant about the word which shall not be named in this blog that rhymes with "Schlemsoning."
For the next several weeks, Clemson received more free advertising from ESPN, ABC, CBS, Fox Sports, and other national and local media outlets. Swinney's smile and good ole boy accent graced interview after interview. Highlights were shown of the Tigers' wins. Deshaun Watson gained notoriety for his impressive stats and poise in leading Clemson to an undefeated season. Now, he's headed to the Heisman Trophy Ceremony in New York City, the first player in Clemson history to be named a finalist.
And at the center of all the highlights, interviews, and discussion is the Tiger Paw. That familiar orange and white tilted paw with the little fish hook in the bottom-right corner.
The Clemson coaching staff doesn't have to fly to California or Texas or Iowa to show off the brand and recruit.
No, the Tiger Paw has entered every living room with a TV for the better part of the past two months. It will continue to do so because Clemson is the lone undefeated team in the nation and is headed to the College Football Playoff. The focus of bowl season is narrowed to two games, one of which involves the No. 1 team in the land. That'd be Clemson.
Even on Twitter, users will be able to use the hashtag "#ALLIN" and an orange Tiger Paw will accompany the phrase for the next month. I mean, how cool is this?!?!
The Paw will continue to be seen on upcoming awards shows, discussions about the Playoff, and pretty much anytime you turn on SportsCenter or one of the upcoming ballgames. Sports talk hosts can't stop talking about Clemson.
I don't know how much marketing dollars all this has equated to or will equate to when it's all said and done, but I'm guessing Clemson could spend the next 100 years coming up with money to spend on advertising and wouldn't receive this kind of exposure.
For my university in the sleepy town in Upstate South Carolina, it's an incredible thing. Think of the people who didn't know where Clemson was or had never really given thought to the Tigers as being a top-tier football program.
That's all changed. Clemson is on its way to becoming a nationally recognized brand. People know the university rests in the foothills of the South Carolina mountains where the Blue Ridge yawns its greatness.
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| (Photo courtesy USA Today Sports) |
How? Why?
The Paw says it all.
-BtW
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