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This story is part of our November 2021 CoSIDA 360 package, to view more stories,
click here.
COVER STORY
Reframing CoSIDA's role and value in intercollegiate athletics
In November, we are excited to share with our members two important ways you can help shape the future of our association.
by Beau White – CoSIDA Director of Creative Services @beau_white
| On Thursday, November 11, the 2021 CoSIDA Branding Survey: Reframing the Future of Our Organization and Industry, will hit email inboxes. Please share this survey link with your senior administration, creative colleages and all those who care about CoSIDA. We're taking the next step in our advocacy for the communications and creative professions by considering if we should rebrand our name and logo. Your voice is important! |
For many people, businesses and organizations, there can be a disconnect between what we see when we look in the mirror and what others see.
What do some people think when they hear “CoSIDA”? “You’re the ones who work with the media, do the websites and stats” is a pretty typical response. Ok, that’s not wrong, but it’s about 1/100th of the picture, and it leaves out some of the most valuable roles and people in your department.
Understanding that a brand is not who you say you are, but is actually the perception about how others feel about you, CoSIDA leadership believes it's time to change the narrative about who we are and what we can be. Past time, in fact.
We know that our members are the greatest storytellers in college athletics. You are the most creative and innovative producers of content. The go-to experts when it comes to shaping the perception of your athletic department’s brand. We want our colleagues across collegiate athletics to think of both you and our organization as forward-thinking, innovative and strategic professionals.
We recognize that our own association brand — or perception — doesn’t always match up with the times. Every year fewer and fewer of our members use the term sports information to name their office or their individual job titles. Some of our profession’s greatest storytellers don’t see themselves as SIDs, and by extension, aren’t CoSIDA members.
This could not be further from what is needed to professionally support all athletics communication and creative staff.
That’s why we’re taking action.
If you have any part of shaping the brand perception on your campus, then CoSIDA is for you. This of course includes SIDs and athletics communicators — or whatever title you’re using — and it also includes digital and social media managers, designers, photographers, videographers, students, senior administrators, and yes, statisticians and media contacts. The roles are too diverse and lengthy to list everything, but ALL communicators and creators deserve a seat at our table.
So what are we doing about it?
First, we’ve developed a new institutional membership model that includes unlimited memberships for a single low price.
Expect a detailed announcement November 9 about our exciting new “All-In” membership plan.
Our new governance structure has been instrumental in determining pricing that is highly affordable and helps achieve many of our organizational objectives. ADs and leaders of athletics communications and creative areas should never have to choose who to provide membership for and who gets excluded based on your budget.
Second, we’re taking the next step in our advocacy for the communications and creative industry by exploring if we need to refresh or even rebrand our name and logo. Everything will be on the table as we survey our entire membership, prospective members in the creative space, athletics directors and other senior leadership about our brand and future.
We’re teaming up with our partners Jennifer Cross of Athlete Viewpoint who will administer this survey and Trip Durham of 2D Consulting, LLC, who will conduct one-on-one interviews with selected stakeholders.
Look for that survey — 2021 CoSIDA Branding Survey: Reframing the Future of Our Organization and Industry — to hit your inbox November 11. We’ve designed it so that you will be able to share it with your department colleagues including creatives and senior level administrators.
The survey is open to all because we want everyone to have a voice in creating our future and elevating the profile of athletics communicators and the important role we play — now more than ever.
As a national organization, when athletics professionals of any type think about CoSIDA, we want them to think of a strong, inclusive, strategic-thinking body of members with countless talents across the wide spectrum of communications and creativity.
As
your professional association, we’re mindful of honoring our history, being representative of our present, and providing stability for our future. We strive to continue to be the best source of support and advocacy for what we consider to be the most important members of the athletics department staff — the storytellers.
With all of the changes occurring in college athletics right now, it is time for us to be bold leaders of our own future as well. We look forward to providing comprehensive support for ALL communicators and creators as we work together to shape the narrative both for our profession and more broadly the value of college sports into the future.
A version of this story appears on page 54 in the October 2021 issue of NACDA’s Athletics Administration Magazine
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