I’ll admit, we have our fair share of Cubs fans here at the office. Even as I type this on the Cubs Home Opener, there are Cubs t-shirts proudly being worn today. Some discretely under blazers and others loud and proud. There’s already been some Sox vs. Cubs ‘sniping’ this morning (all in good fun of course, but it’s still early in the season).
To say this season is pivotal for the Cubs would be an understatement. There are new owners involved, the Ricketts family, so Sam Zell can no longer be blamed for Cubs misfortune. Tom Ricketts, the chosen media face for the family, has been all over Chicago speaking to business groups about the fresh air being brought to the Cubs organization. And when I say fresh air, I mean it literally. One stadium update you will notice this season is fewer concrete walls closing off outside views, allowing a lovely skyline to emerge and of course, more fresh air into the park. A telling omen for this season? Maybe we should check out the promised bathroom updates instead for better insight.
Next off, there is the new marketing campaign wrapped up with the slogan, “It’s a Way of life.” For diehard Cubs fans, I don’t think there could be a better slogan. Being a loyal Cubs fan IS a way of life, and that loyalty prevails whether the team is winning or losing. People move to the “Wrigleyville” neighborhood for the sole purpose of being close to the stadium. Our creative director here refuses to dress his little daughter in a pink Cubs outfit for games, and insists on her wearing Cubby blue (she looks cute regardless). Talk to any true blue Cubs fan, and they won’t even consider following another baseball team, no matter what the stats say. It’s Cubs or nothin’.
Of course the new slogan has it’s detractors, it’s naysayers, it’s make-funners. And that’s ok. Any ad campaign worth its starting lineup slot usually creates two distinct groups of lovers vs. haters. If the slogan were more milk toast variety, a pleaser for all, it wouldn’t be relevant to the Cubs core audience.
Now I could go on all day about how the Cubs or any baseball organization needs alot more than a emotional-based slogan, but let’s stop while we are ahead. Let’s revel in the start of baseball season, the oncoming of summer, and of course, all that fresh air.
