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Unread 21-12-2004, 07:52
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J@GMFlint J@GMFlint is offline
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Re: FIRST Email - Introducing Evolution of the FIRST Logo

Quote:
Originally Posted by magnasmific
I don't think that is much in the spirit of Gracious Professionalism. FIRST wants a new logo. I don't like it either, but it will defineatelly be going on our t-shirts and banners and robot. This "free advertising" as you call it is the lifeblood of FIRST. Not having it on your various things out of spite is not the right thing to do. FIRST exists and has grown because of how much the logo means to people. Heck, I even had the old one on my rear window of my car.

Obviouslly, FIRST has some important reason for protecting their identity. I don't blame them for wanting to have everything straightened out. This is one of the very first steps needed in obtaining an ISO9001 / ISO9002 certification. Did you stop and think what that could mean for FIRST if it were accomplished? They would save soooo much money.

Things change. Whine if you must, but understand that it's not going to do any good. It's progress. It happens.
I've been an Engineer in the Auto Industry for a quite few years now and know all about change, we live it on a daily basis. But thanks for your thoughts anyway. Aside from airing my questions and "surprise" about the change, my "don't like it don't use it" post was meant as advice for the people who HAVE been whining so adamantly on this thread, so let me try again, as there is also a business perspective to logo use.

For the people who really don't like or don't/won't get used to the new logo, they always have an option to NOT pay for the "upgrade", or even incur the cost to have the logo on team items regardless of the logo being used had it not changed. It has nothing to do with spite or GP. Teams pay handily to participate in the competition; THIS is the financial lifeblood of FIRST.

Does FIRST indirectly benefit from our free advertising? Of course, but FIRST will not suffer or perish because the logo is not used. The money we spend in printing the logo delivers no intrinsic value or ROI (Return On Investment) to the program. It has been my experience that the local community, or sponsor is more concerned about the logo and identity of the team they see in front of them, and not the organizing body in New Hampshire.

To put my point in a real world example:

You probably haven't noticed but on our newer GM vehicles many of the logos have been omitted to save $ whenever possible. Look at the floor mats, seat belt buckles, steering wheel and keys. Many models no longer have the GM or divisional logos on them. The absence of these logos has not diminished the quality of the product or reduced the value of the product delivered to the customer in any way. It HAS helped to reduce the cost to make the vehicle, and allow for the $ to be spent elsewhere- like on new product development or a community service like FIRST.

For a FIRST team, I believe the same holds true with respect to value. The absence of the logo will not detract from the value of participating in the program. So take this business model a step further beyond logo preferences, and extend it to any team who is trying to save money. The money saved could be used to reduce team uniform and advertising costs to help pay for an airline ticket or a hotel room for another student. Wouldn’t managing your money to be able to extend the experience of the competition to a student be more inline with the objectives of FIRST rather than spending it on advertising?

Hope this clears things up a bit

Joe


Regarding ISO: Please explain the savings you suggest.
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Last edited by J@GMFlint : 21-12-2004 at 09:27.
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