Michigan is: Marketing?

yea? i really don't get the idea that Michigan is somehow above marketing itself. if you wanna be relevant you damn well better make sure people know who you are.

Thats not marketing, thats just making this a bit more interesting. And it's not ruining tradition. Turning the lights off and using spotlights is ruining what tradition? The tradition of being bland?

This is simply adapting to the environment. Whatever your feelings about the content or nature of a cultural tide may be, you can either ride high on the wave or sink. "Notice that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind." - Bruce Lee

doxa, know your history man. Don Canham revolutionized the way that athletic departments market their teams. He marketed in every and anyway possible to attract more attention to Michigan. So basically, if are marketing then we are just keeping with tradition.

IMO. Speaking as someone in marketing and advertising for a living (not that it gives my opinion more weight, just for context) a strong brand is strong because of a couple of factors: 1- a set of core values,meaning and product that are consistent over time. A brand is a promise that delivers on that promise consistently to both it's core target (read: students, alumni, workers, fans, and the potential future versions of the same) and also to a wider audience (influencers, those that come into sporadic contact with the brand but don't follow it closely, etc) 2- Importantly, a strong brand must also remain relevant over time, remaining current and adapting itself to generational differences in attitude and belief. This is done not by compromising it's principles and values, but by delivering that same promise is ways that are compelling and motivating to those future adopters, in whatever medium available to you (the media, PR, expressions outside and inside the venue, etc.) There can be debate about which expressions of the brand are consistent with or inconsistent with that brand promise, which can be open to interpretation. But hype videos are not IMO within that realm. The purpose of them is to excite the crowd, which is legitimate for every brand in every venue. In and of themselves there is nothing wrong with them, just like a television commercial is not itself inconsistent our brand or any brand--it's about the execution. But I doubt seriously that any definition of Michigan's core values would include, "no in-game videos, too crass for Michigan."