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ThreeifbyLightning Online
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Post: #1
Why MT?
I didn't want to derail ECU's thread, but given that so many of you have experienced similar pains to us regarding what people call your university I thought some of you may be interested in this.

I have served as a guest columnist in the past for the Daily New Journal in Murfreesboro, but given changes that are occurring in the news business and the role new media is now playing I decided to give this write up to one of our alums that has started a new website over the past few months (includes one of our primary message boards) taking up the branding issue for the first and only piece I wrote for the new site. It's a free site and I don't get paid anything for doing it, so concious clear in sharing. At the very least it will give you some historical perspective on why we don't use "MTxx"

http://blueraiderzone.com/2013/06/27/opi...g-problem/
08-09-2013 08:03 AM
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loki_the_bubba Offline
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Post: #2
RE: Why MT?
MTSU
UNC Charlotte
Louisiana-Lafayette


These are what they are. I see no point in bending reality to some marketing campaign.
08-09-2013 09:06 AM
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BeliefBlazer Offline
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Post: #3
RE: Why MT?
Isn't "Rice" just branding? Wouldn't it annoy you to be referred to as William Marsh Rice?

Maybe ESPN could even abbreviate it WMRU.
08-09-2013 09:09 AM
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Blueraidersig Offline
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Post: #4
RE: Why MT?
Would UAB fans like The University of Birmingham? Has that even been discussed?
08-09-2013 09:10 AM
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BeliefBlazer Offline
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Post: #5
RE: Why MT?
(08-09-2013 09:10 AM)Blueraidersig Wrote:  Would UAB fans like The University of Birmingham? Has that even been discussed?

The medical school and hospital have too much brand equity to change the name of the University. It would probably also be practically impossible to get the BOT and the state legislature to consider it.
08-09-2013 09:12 AM
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loki_the_bubba Offline
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Post: #6
RE: Why MT?
(08-09-2013 09:09 AM)BeliefBlazer Wrote:  Isn't "Rice" just branding? Wouldn't it annoy you to be referred to as William Marsh Rice?

Maybe ESPN could even abbreviate it WMRU.

Call it The William Marsh Rice Institute for the Advancement of Letters, Science, and Art, please.
08-09-2013 09:12 AM
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Blueraidersig Offline
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Post: #7
RE: Why MT?
(08-09-2013 09:12 AM)loki_the_bubba Wrote:  
(08-09-2013 09:09 AM)BeliefBlazer Wrote:  Isn't "Rice" just branding? Wouldn't it annoy you to be referred to as William Marsh Rice?

Maybe ESPN could even abbreviate it WMRU.

Call it The William Marsh Rice Institute for the Advancement of Letters, Science, and Art, please.

WMRIALSA...has a nice ring to it
08-09-2013 09:23 AM
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ThreeifbyLightning Online
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Post: #8
RE: Why MT?
(08-09-2013 09:06 AM)loki_the_bubba Wrote:  MTSU
UNC Charlotte
Louisiana-Lafayette


These are what they are. I see no point in bending reality to some marketing campaign.

If you think its about a marketing campaign you a) didn't read it or b) miss the point.
08-09-2013 09:28 AM
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Chappy Offline
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Post: #9
RE: Why MT?
(08-09-2013 09:12 AM)BeliefBlazer Wrote:  
(08-09-2013 09:10 AM)Blueraidersig Wrote:  Would UAB fans like The University of Birmingham? Has that even been discussed?

The medical school and hospital have too much brand equity to change the name of the University. It would probably also be practically impossible to get the BOT and the state legislature to consider it.

I actually like the way Charlotte does it, where the University is still UNC Charlotte but the sports teams just use "Charlotte". I think the same thing could work for UAB, where the University would keep its moniker but the athletics would just be "Birmingham".
08-09-2013 09:31 AM
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Fear The Beak Offline
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Post: #10
RE: Why MT?
Interesting article. But c'mon... Murfreesboro. You made that up, right? :-)
08-09-2013 10:55 AM
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USM@FTL Offline
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Post: #11
RE: Why MT?
I say drop the "State" and go with MTU. To many syllables already, and "Murfreesboro" is a mouthful. I bet Asians just say "Southeast Nashville". LOL!
08-09-2013 10:56 AM
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MTPiKapp Offline
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Post: #12
RE: Why MT?
(08-09-2013 10:56 AM)USM@FTL Wrote:  I say drop the "State" and go with MTU. To many syllables already, and "Murfreesboro" is a mouthful. I bet Asians just say "Southeast Nashville". LOL!

I believe one of the times we were battling to get the name change, we were offered MTU, but we decided to hold out for UMT.
08-09-2013 11:12 AM
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Blueraidersig Offline
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Post: #13
RE: Why MT?
I want UMT dammit
08-09-2013 11:17 AM
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MTPiKapp Offline
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Post: #14
RE: Why MT?
(08-09-2013 09:06 AM)loki_the_bubba Wrote:  MTSU
UNC Charlotte
Louisiana-Lafayette


These are what they are. I see no point in bending reality to some marketing campaign.

So it's okay for:

University of Southern California to be referred to as Southern Cal
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to be referred to as Carolina
Vanderbilt University to be Vandy
University of California Berkeley to be just Cal
Georgia institute of Technology to be Georgia Tech
Virginia Polytechnic and State University to be Virginia Tech


And pretty much every school to drop "university" and simply be referred to as the name of their state:

Alabama
Georgia
Florida
Texas
Oregon
et al

Or by such and such state

Oklahoma State
Florida State
NC State
Kansas State
et al

Or simply by the namesake city
Memphis
Miami
Tulsa
Pitt
et al

But it's not okay for us to wish to be referred to simply as Middle Tennessee?
08-09-2013 11:26 AM
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MG61 Offline
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Post: #15
RE: Why MT?
I have no problem with referring to Middle Tennessee as MT or as sometimes we at North Texas refer to them as the Muts. They've never been pushy or belligerent about their preferred name as have a number of Louisiana-Lafayette folks pushing for Louisiana and trashing those who would not bow to their wishes. '

UMT is much better than MTSU04-cheers
08-09-2013 11:27 AM
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Buccaneerlover Offline
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Post: #16
RE: Why MT?
UMT is too much like UNT. Go with Middle Tennessee with the MT logo. Of course getting old people on board will always be a challenge as I still hear people refer to UNT as North Texas State, Troy as Troy State and Memphis as that word I just previously typed that begins an S, ends with an E and has tat in the middle.
I also still hear people reference Va. Tech as VPI - and even my dad's old bookie's parlay cards had Tech as VPI up until he died.
The key is getting ESPN on board and respecting the Middle Tennessee or MT vs. putting Mid Tenn. St., which annoys the living hell out of me.
Of course, that's probably expecting too much from a company that listed an Asian Little Leaguers favorite band this year as "Wandai Wrection" on national television...
(This post was last modified: 08-09-2013 11:38 AM by Buccaneerlover.)
08-09-2013 11:37 AM
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TruBlu Offline
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Post: #17
RE: Why MT?
FWIW, I think no matter what the university name is (MTSU, UMT, MTU), we should brand all things athletic & academic as only Middle Tennessee & MT.

I'd kill the winged horse, adopt a scottish highland blue-kilted warrior as our mascot, sell merchandise with the blue tartan pattern, and go with an all silver helmet with no stripes or logos if I were lord & master.

That's why I'm not in marketing.
08-09-2013 11:38 AM
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baruna falls Offline
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Post: #18
RE: Why MT?
The more an institution or business try"s to convince the public that they are something that they are not,, the more desperate and foolish the institution looks. What is more important is what the institution does and stands for.
Sorry, but MTSU, ECU or many of the schools in Conf USA, are not flagship school's within their respective states. Rather than fighting that reality, I think it would be better for the institution to fully embrace what it is and turn an perceived weakness into a strength. Just my two cents.
08-09-2013 11:40 AM
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Buccaneerlover Offline
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Post: #19
RE: Why MT?
(08-09-2013 11:38 AM)TruBlu Wrote:  FWIW, I think no matter what the university name is (MTSU, UMT, MTU), we should brand all things athletic & academic as only Middle Tennessee & MT.

I'd kill the winged horse, adopt a scottish highland blue-kilted warrior as our mascot, sell merchandise with the blue tartan pattern, and go with an all silver helmet with no stripes or logos if I were lord & master.

That's why I'm not in marketing.

I don't love the horse, either. I hear Raiders, I don't think of a pegasus horse.
The Pegasus horse makes me think of Napoleon Dynamite. (Keep in mind while not a die hard fan of MT, I do want them to succeed simply because they represent our great state).
08-09-2013 11:40 AM
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LaTechBanjo Offline
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Post: #20
RE: Why MT?
NOPE!

No no no no no no.

This is the C-USA board. I refuse to entertain "call us this because it makes us look less lame than the rest of the Sunbelt." MTSU is fine anyway.

People will call you whatever they want, and it doesn't matter in the end.

Of note is the interesting trivia that Louisiana Technical University doesn't actually exist, FYI. Our Tech is not an abbreviation We are formally and officially Louisiana Tech University.
08-09-2013 11:41 AM
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