Clemson’s Position of Strength - from a Branding Perspective

Jul 7, 2022, 10:58 AM

In the interest of disclosure: I am a full professor of marketing specializing in areas of Branding and Consumer Behavior (hence “CBProf”). From a branding perspective, I believe Clemson is currently in a much better position than many people seem to think.

I heard Roddy Jones say yesterday that he thinks Fla St and Miami each have a better brand than Clemson because of their accomplishments in the past. He is mistaken. Basically, Jones is approaching branding more like a fan than like a TV exec.

What Jones is missing is that what happened in the 90s and early 00s is only relevant to the extent that it enhances a brand’s viewership today and – assumedly – in the future. Otherwise, it is irrelevant.

Today, Clemson draws more viewers than any other ACC football program. That is incredibly important because it means Miami and Fla St’s histories have not prevented Clemson from currently eclipsing them in viewership. Hence, the limitations of a brand’s history compared to the present.

What really matters to sports television executives is how many people tune in to watch that team’s games. On that metric, Clemson is currently very strong. Yes, projecting a team’s viewership into the future also plays a role, but it is a limited role when there exists a particularly high level of uncertainty. Of course, projections for Texas and Ohio State should include a higher floor (NOT necessarily a higher ceiling) than those for most teams. But, most teams still include a very high level of uncertainty. Ultimately, real data trumps estimated data every time when the level of uncertainty is this high.

I firmly believe Clemson is currently in a position of strength. Credit to Dabo and the other coaching staff members, as well as Clemson’s administration for where our Tigers are currently.

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Clemson: Academic Excellence! Athletic Excellence!

Your question makes an astute point - and one that I considered mentioning in the original post, but it seemed like the post was already getting a bit long.

It seems fair to assume that Clemson's viewership numbers would have been even higher IF Clemson were playing more opponents who also drew large viewership numbers. In other words, wouldn't Clemson's viewership have been higher if Clemson had played LSU each year instead of Wake Forest? Extending that further, wouldn't Clemson's viewership numbers have been even higher - and Clemson's ranking even better - if Clemson had played a full SEC schedule (against opponents that enjoy a higher viewership) as compared to an ACC schedule. If all else were equal, the answer would be obvious.

But, assuming all else to be equal is a problem.

Consider, for example, that Clemson's viewership numbers have likely been enhanced by Clemson's great success in winning CFP games. One could make an argument that if Clemson had played LSU each year instead of Wake, Clemson might not have beaten LSU as often as it did Wake. In other words, change the opponent to one with a higher viewing audience and the record might or might not have been the same. Change Clemson's record and Clemson might or might not have drawn the same viewership.

IF Clemson had a different schedule and, therefore, did not win as many games (which is debatable), then would Clemson have successfully reached the playoffs as consistently? Many Clemson fans argue that Clemson would have just as good a record - and would have made just as many CFP appearances - if it had played in the SEC instead of the ACC. Many SEC fans try their best to argue the opposite. The problem is that no one really knows the actual answer because it is all hypothetical.

All of which just goes to show why the high level of uncertainty matters so much. Would Clemson have had higher viewership numbers with an SEC or a Big schedule instead of an ACC schedule? Probably - but not definitely. Hence, REAL data carries more weight than estimated projections. It would be very difficult to quantify Clemson's actual numbers against a different schedule - particularly over several seasons.

Clemson’s Position of Strength - from a Branding Perspective

Re: Clemson’s Position of Strength - from a Branding Perspective

Re: Clemson’s Position of Strength - from a Branding Perspective

Re: Clemson’s Position of Strength - from a Branding Perspective

Re: Clemson’s Position of Strength - from a Branding Perspective

All of our defensive line positions are strong. I’d say DT

Re: Clemson’s Position of Strength - from a Branding Perspective

Great Question - But difficult to qauntify

Smart posts all the way around ...

Re: Clemson’s Position of Strength - from a Branding Perspective

After all is said & IF we have to leave ACC..

Re: Clemson’s Position of Strength - from a Branding Perspective

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