{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Brandifesto | Getting Brands to the Point","title":"2: From Logos to Legacy: Wichita State’s Branding Journey (Part 1)","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":857,"description":"What happens when a 125-year-old university discovers it has 200 logos — and then has to fix it?That's exactly the situation Barth Hague walked into as Chief Marketing Officer at Wichita State University. What started as a quiet observation — why does the logo on the basketball court look nothing like the one on a diploma? — turned into one of the most consequential rebranding projects in the university's history. We talk through the politics, the pushback, the stakeholder meetings, and ultimately a logo that ended up on national television during a Final Four run worth over a billion dollars in free advertising.HighlightsWichita State had two primary logos and over 200 variations — each college and department had developed its own mark over 125 yearsThe tipping point: Barth noticed the athletics WSU logo on the Koch Arena floor didn't match the university's academic logo — and a VP's warning look only made him more determined to change itThe Shockers' rising success on CBS Sports and ESPN made the brand inconsistency an expensive missed opportunityPresident Don Beggs provided crucial top-down support, understanding both the marketing opportunity and the need to unify a fragmented campus identityThree universal objections to rebranding: (1) you're taking something precious from me, (2) you're making me change my letterhead margins, and (3) what does this even mean?Dean Fox from the College of Health delivered an emotional argument for keeping the wheat — rooted in the story of immigrant settlers, Fairmount College's history, and Kansas identityThe new logo went on to be seen nationally during the Shockers' Final Four appearance, delivering advertising value the university could never have afforded otherwiseBarth's core marketing principle: even a poor logo design can succeed with consistent application — but the best design will fail without itChapters0:00 — Logo Hoard Problem0:58 — Meet Barth Haeg1:56 — Why Rebrand Again3:31 — Two Logos Become 2004:16 —...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/XAIdJYrSa86eCwBHkjzqU74DZpRuHHO4pNiSQhNzVsk/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9jOTMz/M2UyNGRmOTg5MGEz/N2VhNDY1OTg2ODFm/NmMyMS5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}