Letdown to Kickoff - Day 1: Tyrone Butterfield

So a few weeks ago, while watching the scoreboard testing on the stadium cam, I happened to see them messing around with a heart-shaped graphic, or transition or whatever you call it.  First thing I thought was, Oh God, please don't let this be a kiss-cam! 

NONONONONONO!!!  I may just have to tackle the camerman if I see him...

For me, this is the continuation of the CEO-ization of marketing that just bores the life out of me. Who is the CEO of GEICO? The reason that person is not in the ads is because, say what you want, GEICO has an effective marketing agency running their multiple campaigns (Cavemen, The Gecko, the celebrity singing the testimonals, etc). Remember all of those iPod ads with Steve Jobs standing with his hands on his hips in awe of his product, talking about how excited he is to market iPods to young people and enhance their music experience? NO, YOU DON'T.

I understand that CEOs are ego maniacs (and I also understand how vital they are to the success or failure of their business-- not arguing that), but for the love of all that is holy, save it for the shareholder meetings and let the marketing department SELL THE ACTUAL PRODUCT. CEOs are generally tone deaf to the nuance of marketing because they are so focused on the operational/strategic/ financial aspects and the 50,000 foot vision of the organization they are running. Why do so many of them think consumers and fans give a shit about them and their personal appearance in marketing campaigns? Does your understanding of and passion for Michigan Football have anything to do with Dave Brandon's thoughts on the subject? Does his imprimateur mean anything? He is nothing more than the steward of OUR PROGRAM-- he has big calls to make, but he makes them on our behalf, as part of our history, our tradition. 

The day before kick off of the opening game of the season of Brady Hoke's debut season should be a highlights package of Denard and Hoke and Borges and Martin and getting us hyped for the season, for the game, for the tradition, for everything Michigan stands for.

Usually, I wouldn't care about a stupid Countdown To Kickoff video, but soemone needs to grab Dave Brandon and let him know this is not about him. At all. All of the enhancements he wants to make to something most of us consider sacred, he should talk to his customers and get out of the way. You don't hear the Pope coming out and talking about all of the new, exicitng things he's going to do to enhance the marketing experience of next year's Easter Mass. Michigan Football is sacred, its traditions blooming from the grass roots experience, not handed down from the AD and the jumbotron. 

Brandon has done a lot right, but he also seems tone deaf; he'd rather talk corporate about how exciting his work process is and, instead of leaving that for the Regents and Mary Sue Coleman, has put it front and center in the way he frames the program.

I'm sure 99.99% of people won't give two shits, but it drives me crazy. Sorry to vent.