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This story is part of our August 2022 CoSIDA 360 package, to view more stories,
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Reflections from Vegas
by Beau White – CoSIDA Director of Creative Services @beau_white
| Coming this Monday, August 8, look for the official announcement about the recommended name change which will also include all the details about the important membership vote we need you to participate in later this month. All members from 2021-22 and 2022-23 will receive the invitation. |
What a great time we had in Las Vegas. To see people in person was a thrill following three years of Zooms and emails.
Coming together in person was a much-needed chance for the Executive Board of Directors and national staff to talk deeply about the future of what we called our Name, Image and Membership session. What we mean by that is our organization is in the process launching our new All-In membership model to be more inclusive of all communicators in college athletics - and at the same time we are working to rebrand CoSIDA with a new name and logo. The two major projects go hand-in-hand as we strive to create a new version of our organization that positions us to support and advocate for our members at an even higher level now and into the future.
One of the highlights of #CoSIDA22 was getting the chance to share more about the rebranding process CoSIDA is undertaking with a room full of engaged members. Although nearly 200 members have been involved throughout the process, this was our biggest audience, and it was the first time we shared the new name that our Executive Board has recommended — College Sports Communicators. It was exciting to hear the words of encouragement and the support shared by many in this direction. There were also many excellent questions.
If you weren’t able to attend the convention, a replay of our conversation featuring partners David Haney of Joe Bosack & Company, Trip Durham of 2D Consulting LLC and Jennifer Cross of Athlete Viewpoint/Game Plan, along with former Past President Sam Atkinson and myself is available to watch on YouTube. The session closes with comments on the process from Executive Director Erik Christianson.
To continue to inform our members about our process, below are additional responses to all the questions that were submitted during the session via the convention mobile app, many of which we were not able to answer before we ran out of time.
Coming this Monday, August 8, look for the official announcement about the recommended name change which will also include all the details about the important membership vote we need you to participate in later this month. All members from 2021-22 and 2022-23 will receive the invitation.
Per our constitution, our formal announcement on Monday will be followed by a minimum of 21 days prior to the vote. The vote will take place virtually during a live session. Information will be emailed to all members and available on CoSIDA.com. Members will be asked to vote on a name only at that time. Pending that outcome, full new logo development and tangible rebranding steps will begin in earnest.
In advance of the vote, a live member forum is being planned for Wednesday, August 24 at 2 PM (ET) to answer any questions. Questions are also welcome to be directed to Executive Director Erik Christianson, President Jessica Poole, Director of Creative Services Beau White, or any other member of the Executive Board of Directors or national staff at any time. Contact information is available here.
#CoSIDA22 Name, Image and Membership Branding Q&A Follow Up
These were all the questions submitted in the #CoSIDA22 mobile app during our Name, Image and Membership session.
Will the name change allow us to become more a part of the NACDA convention? Currently we are a separate convention running parallel to NACDA. I’d like to see the new ‘cosida’ included on the NACDA badge and included in their sessions/exhibit hall time.
CoSIDA has enjoyed an important working partnership with NACDA and its 19 affiliates for the past decade and first held conventions together in 2013. CoSIDA leadership is in regular communication and negotiation with NACDA leaders.
As it relates to our conventions since the beginning of the partnership, all NACDA affiliates and CoSIDA attendees are able to attend each other's sessions — with the notable exception of food service events. The NACDA badge allows entry to NACDA food service events and the CoSIDA badge limits access to our food service events. The NACDA exhibit hall is a food service event that CoSIDA pays entry for on our night. To have more access to the NACDA exhibit hall, CoSIDA would have to raise our convention registration fees to pay for that access. This is, in part, why CoSIDA registration fees are generally less expensive than all of the NACDA affiliates. Outside of not being included on badges for the reason noted above, NACDA includes CoSIDA as it would any of its official affiliates in other signage and convention branding.
CoSIDA also holds its own major events on Sunday (welcome reception) and Monday (All-Star Night of Honors presented by ESPN) nights that we want our members to attend.
It’s important to remember that we are always evaluating these things and trying to deliver the best value to our members while operating in the most efficient and financially-responsible manner possible. It’s worth mentioning that we saw more NACDA badges than ever in our CoSIDA sessions at #CoSIDA22. We believe that our new membership model and rebranding effort is only going to make our organization more valuable and so you never know what may be possible at the convention as we move forward.
New name and new logo but what is changing? How will this organization be better and look different?
The primary immediate thing that is changing is our rededication to being an inclusive organization that advocates for and supports ALL communicators in college athletics.
This starts with the All-In membership that allows our member institutions, conferences and others to have unlimited staff members be part of our organization. There is strength in numbers, diversity and teamwork. Our research has told us our priorities should be around networking, recognition and skill training. Much like CoSIDA has operated for 65 years, what we are able to do and how we will evolve (and how quickly) is driven by the involvement of our members.
How will this rebrand change the perception of what we do? How will it impact our ability to bring in new members, those talented professionals in a more creative job role, while also retaining current professionals in the role of the traditional SID, as well as from a creative aspect?
This is a really important question. At its base level, the primary goal of the rebrand is to change the perception of many people that CoSIDA is an organization only for SIDs who write recaps and do stats. This is a prevalent view, even among individuals who hold CoSIDA in very high esteem.
That perception is not the reality of the work our association does or our individual members do. That perception is greatly limiting to our organization.
An athletics director told us at her school they were stuck in some old ways and she told them that “first they had to become current, and then they could start thinking about being modern.” This rebrand will make us current. How we address some of the other issues in the question will add to our relevance.
The between the lines message of this question is how will this rebrand help members get better pay and working conditions (less hours). That is not something a rebrand on its own can accomplish. Yet, by going through with the new membership model and committing to being a more inclusive organization with the rebrand, we are opening the door to more advocacy possibilities for the organization. Greater membership numbers and more diversity are likely outcomes of the rebrand and there is great strength in that.
From a national organizational perspective, when it comes to helping retain current professionals, CoSIDA can’t specifically get you a raise, more time off, or make your working environment be more enjoyable and valuable. Yet, it can continue to arm you with tools and education to help you better advocate for yourself.
On the other end of the spectrum, the All-In membership will allow young professionals to be part of our organization and take advantage of all we offer. There are a lot of young people who want to work in sports but don’t know how or exactly what they want to do. They might try us out and learn it’s not for them — and that’s ok. But for many, they can learn from the best college athletics has to offer. With a more diverse membership of different communications disciplines, we can learn from each other how to keep stats, how to create attractive and inspiring graphics, how to handle a crisis and how to be a leader from people who are experts in those areas.
What is next in this process? What steps are ahead to complete the organization’s rebrand?
The next steps in the renaming/rebranding are to 1) execute a full membership vote to accept the new name, 2) begin logo/icon development, and 3) launch the new name and logo publicly including all those things that must be done to transition to the new brand.
At the same time, we’ll be working on all those things that give the rebrand meaning with the development or enhancement of programming, advocacy, support and other elements.
With the All-In Membership, will there be a limit on the number that can vote for Academic All-America?
All members will continue to have a national vote. Significant and exciting enhancements have been made to the Academic All-America® program including later nominations periods resulting in the honoring of more student-athletes at the district level, the addition of men's and women's tennis and men's and women's swimming and diving as stand-alone sport contests and more. Read more about the enhancements here.
When is the right time to rebrand?
Dating back to 2019, the Executive Board of Directors has been more seriously discussing how to become a more inclusive organization. Similar conversations included questions around how to better prepare our next generation and how to hold on to former SIDs who were moving into administrator roles. All of this led to the creation of the All-In Membership model to open our doors wider for more people to feel included.
At the same time, the research tells us that with each passing year the SID term is becoming more dated and that to truly be able to achieve our goals a name change is necessary. So for CoSIDA, the perception by those both inside and outside our organization has led us to know that the right time is now.
What will be available (programming, support) to the new creative members?
When asked to rank all of the many areas where CoSIDA provides value to its members, our research has told us that our priorities should be around networking, recognition and skills training. This is what is guiding CoSIDA leadership as we consider and develop new or enhanced offerings for the 2022-23 academic year. We lean heavily on members to be able to deliver our programming. Continuing to listen to our long-time and new members will inform future plans.
How does the organization estimate membership will be affected with the implementation or a rebrand that helps encompass more communications professionals than just SIDs? How will you push the brand out to ensure maximum benefit and growth?
In terms of membership numbers, we expect a significant increase over time. In our rebranding research phase, we delivered surveys to over 1,800 non-member creatives as well as another 2,000+ athletics directors and commissioners. We also hope to see a large increase in student membership. Some early examples of the increase are already evident with 2022-23 membership. A Power 5 school with a traditional CoSIDA membership of 11, has increased its number to 20. A college division school previously with two members increased to eight. A conference office has increased from two to seven members to include their social staff. Some of the new members we've noticed already include broadcasters, sport-specific creatives, social media managers, students, senior administrators and campus communicators.
To ensure maximum benefit and growth, we will continue to use all resources at our disposal to educate as many people as we can, and we will count on our members to help us.
Another big area where we expect an impact is in the attractiveness of our organization to corporate partners. Many of our existing corporate partners are very enthused about our new direction.
Past conventions held joint CoSIDA/NACMA sessions. In departments like mine, SIDs and marketing folks are tied at the hip. How do you envision this rebrand/reorganization impacting the relationship with NACMA if at all?
CoSIDA enjoys a great relationship with NACMA and many other NACDA affiliates. We’ll continue to partner with all of our peer organizations as often as we can. The CoSIDA/NACMA session on social media this year in Vegas, for example, was PACKED. These sessions are usually standing-room only. CoSIDA also has strengthened relationships and collaboration with N4A, ICLA and MOAA. We hope to continue develop more relationships and programming.
How do we raise the perception of brand identity among the professionals we represent, so that it’s at least as positive as our supervisors, if not higher?
This is something that CoSIDA has observed for years including in past branding studies — athletics directors generally have a higher opinion of CoSIDA than our own members. The survey results showed this again in 2021. This is a challenge that we all need to take on together.
Without getting too deep, anecdotal feedback tells us that qualities and soft skills that lead to a higher professional profile include being forward-thinkers, problem solvers who can anticipate and provide solutions, and skilled storytellers. These and other topics are professional development/skill offerings CoSIDA already produces on a regular basis, and it is work we will continue with the help of our membership.
What role will non-communication staff have in the new “CoSIDA”?
In terms of our national association, we have long had members who are not working in traditional SID roles. Any member has access to CoSIDA leadership positions, our programming, and our extensive awards recognition. If any structural, committee or governance changes are needed they will be considered.
How many memberships are too many? Will the membership get watered down with athletic or campus staff who really don’t deal with sports communications?
Each institution or conference office with an All-In Membership will be able to sign up unlimited members. What will be important, and a significant change, from the CoSIDA national office standpoint, is how we communicate with our increasingly diverse membership. Not every development will be relevant to the full membership, so targeted messaging will have a higher emphasis.
An important step that members can do to help: immediately complete your member profile at CoSIDA.com/profile. Fully completing your profile helps us make sure you get the right messages — and you don’t get the messages you don’t want. Our emphasis will remain on college sports communications.
What is the process from here? What are the next steps to transition to our new organizational brand?
Pending the outcome of the membership vote, the transition to a new name and logo will take time. Everyone knows a website redesign takes several months alone. We are undergoing a lot of change as an organization right now and patience and positivity will help us get where we want to go. Changing the name and logo is one thing but the true brand — the perception of how people feel about us — is something we’ve been working on for 65 years and something we’ll keep working on in the future.
When I go back to my campus, what should the message be for this rebrand when I tell students and student-athletes what I do and if those two groups would want to try out the profession?
If someone is thinking about entering the field of athletics communication, sports information, media relations, or any creative communications discipline, then there is no better professional community under the NACDA umbrella than CoSIDA to network, learn and contribute. Through the All-In membership, students are included in schools’ memberships at no additional cost. The rebrand of the name and logo should show people who are skeptical that we are serious about welcoming students who aren’t sure that they want to be an SID, but they do want to work in a communications or creative field in college sports. For students, there are existing opportunities to be paired with a mentor and to participate in networking and educational programming. Students are also eligible to enter contests and more opportunities for recognition are being developed.
Has there been a consideration to simply combine CoSIDA, NACMA and NACDA into one organization? As our roles evolve, a convention like this, where we are all in the same space but don’t have access to the same sessions is a little bizarre.
NACMA (National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators) is one of 19 affiliates of NACDA. Its mission is to “provide the tools, training and network for collegiate sports marketers to successfully generate revenue, manage brands, and develop fans.”
NACDA is the overarching organization and it is specifically for athletics directors and conference commissioners.
At convention, we have access to attend each other’s sessions with the exception of food service events. The combined CoSIDA/NACMA mega session is traditionally a big highlight for both groups. CoSIDA is fortunate to have dedicated full-time national staff and is able to more proactively pursue these collaborative sessions with NACMA, other NACDA affiliates, working closely recently with ICLA, MOAA and N4A, and other peer organizations such as Women Leaders in College Sports throughout the year and at the convention. Although we have crossover interests, the year-round support CoSIDA provides is specific to our membership.
Will there be new “core values” tied into the re-brand?
CoSIDA’s current mission statement is: “CoSIDA educates, advocates and communicates with and for the intercollegiate athletics communications community. It is our mission to engage and empower members, develop exceptional leaders, and promote and enhance our profession.”
Everything we do revolves around five key values to Advocate, Connect, Educate, Honor and Support our members.
The goals of the All-In Membership and the rebrand align with our existing core values.
If we really want to add creatives, we have got to drastically shift what this organization actually is, not just how it’s branded. Do we really understand how to speak the language of creatives? This convention would look very different, right?
The language of creatives is that they feel underpaid, overworked, and that they deserve a seat at the table. Their work drives the brand perception of their institution. Sound familiar?
Unlike current CoSIDA members, most creatives feel like they have no national support.
At the national level, CoSIDA absolutely has a seat at the table. At the local level, you may or may not have a seat in your athletic department, and that’s something that this organization advocates for year round. As we look around, we all see examples of changing priorities on different campuses. Some ADs want traditional strategic communicators in their department; some want social communications to be a top priority; some are looking for a more advanced level of creative communicator. What is the same is that they all need communicators. CoSIDA cannot and does not try to dictate how you should do your job on your campus. We serve to provide advocacy, connection, education, recognition and support. These are things SIDs and creatives alike crave. There is no other professional association more equipped to support creatives. More than half of our membership already is an SID-creative combo.
Will the convention look different? This year we did not have a high number of non-SIDs at the convention and some of the loudest feedback is wanting more Adobe training and more smaller educational lounge sessions. Members are interested in mental health, career advancement, diversity & inclusion and hot-button topics like NIL. It’s very fair to say that the convention will be impacted, but it’s our belief that it will be an extremely positive impact for all attendees.
Can this also include campus MARCOM offices, etc.? Their people help our people and we collaborate together.
With purchase of an All-In membership, you are not restricted to who you can include on your campus. We would encourage you to include anyone you think may benefit. That could even go as far as to include campus communicators, university relations staff who work with athletics and professors who teach relevant coursework.
Have you considered other words besides “communicators”?
Many words have been considered and debated. Related to this specific word, research and surveying told us that communication was the most important word. Trends in job titles prove that it's an important word. So how did we get from “communications” to “communicators”? First, it was a goal for the new organization name not to reflect a job title. One of the problems with the current name is that it's based on an increasingly defunct job title. Likewise, feedback told us that many creatives would consider themselves communicators but that they don’t work in communications — “that’s an office down the hall I don’t work in.”
In the end, we want to be an organization about people — not job titles, not specific offices. Therefore we felt strongly that “communicators” was an inclusive and broad word that will be relevant for many years to come about the work we all do.
You’ve talked about the *why* you want to include creatives, but what many of these questions are pointing to and hasn’t been answered is *how* do you actually plan to sell creatives on joining an organization like this?
To be clear, we’re not trying to sell anything. In terms of how we’re going to attract and engage creative members, it starts with providing an accessible entry point. The All-In Membership model does that by allowing membership at essentially no extra cost for the vast majority of our member institutions. The rename is taking the next step to signal that we are serious about being more inclusive. What we can promise is that we go into this change with an openness to work to create the “new CoSIDA” our existing and new members want and need. For it to be great for our new members, they will have to be actively involved.
What is the new name?
College Sports Communicators is the recommended name approved by the board. The official announcement will be released on Monday, August 8 with details about the membership vote to take place at the end of August.
Please tell me the acronym is going to be CoSCo :)
Let’s go ahead and put that one in the “no” pile please. :)
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