This post is written by Dano, Afternoon Personality on Froggy 92.9 in Santa Rosa, CA. He is also a contributor for KSRO and a lifelong 49er fan. He knows that this post is long, but we suck this season, so it’s not like you have anything better to do.
The 49ers have the worst record in the Bay Area, and not just in the standings. As a franchise, they have the worst record with their own fans. I wrote those two emotional sentences over a month ago, and since: ESPN has ranked them as the worst franchise in professional sports, the city of Santa Clara has threatened to take over their facility and the team has set a franchise record losing streak.
It’s baddd right now. Long-time, hard-core fans are in maintenance mode- not buying gear and watching the game from home, or worse, not even watching at all. This leaves a bad balance sheet for Jed York and a dull vibe at our home field. The players get the impression that fans don’t really care, so what’s the motivation to play hard? Just 53 Vernon Davis’, running routes and never laying out.
With a title like Fixing the 49ers, you’d expect a detailed analysis of trades and picks they need to make to get this team back on track. Well DUH they need a slot receiver, but I’m a radio and marketing guy, and the problems I see run deeper than the roster. The idea of the 49ers is deteriorating.
The Santa Clara 49ers are not a brand that inspires anyone. When you see the little SF logo, you know it’s a lie, that it should really be an SC or an SJ. You think about how much the owner wants to make money. And how many players got arrested.
Not one kid in the Bay Area is dreaming of growing up and playing for the 49ers. Or even just working for the team! A good friend of mine works in sports. She’s a long-time Niner fan and got her dream job working for the team. It was such a nightmare she quit in 6 months.
How did this happen? This is an organization so enmeshed in the community that Dianne Feinstein said they literally helped heal the city after the Harvey Milk shooting.
What’s gone wrong? You already know the answer…
Everybody hates Jed York.
Jed, you’re obviously reading this, and I can feel you starting to tune out because you’re tired of this song. Yes, we hate you right now. But I’ll tell you something nobody else will- we really want to love you.
No fan wants to despise their own team! We just want to know ownership is as crazy about this team we are. As a fan, we want this owner
Not this
People believe in Dreamers, not Dollar Dorks. And of course the irony is that when fans believe in the cause, they $$$pend, which is actually the true goal of the Dork (research this place called ‘Disneyland’ as proof).
Every single 49er decision in the last decade has been a totally transparent money grab, like pitching a tent in the front yard of a girl you want to go out with. And worse, we don’t even know what Jed wants all this money for..? Just for the sake of being wealthy? To move from the 1% to the .01%?
Jed, we need to bring back what the 49ers are all about. Here’s how you can make it up to us.
Fix the Logo
You probably didn’t notice it. But your brain did. The 49ers logos play out like this…
3 Super Bowl Wins w/this logo:
2 Super Bowl Wins w/this logo:
1 Super Bowl LOSS and Dennis Erickson w/this logo:
As you can see, there is increasingly more and more black added to the logo (more on that later). The gold ring actually looks good, but coupled with the thick black racetrack around the edge this oval is ugly. It’s neither red and gold nor black and gold. It’s red and black and gold. Then factor in that certain situations add a THIRD white border..
…and the 49ers logo looks more like the rings of Saturn then the symbol of your Joe Montana nostalgia.
Red and gold and white and black, 4 colors on the logo. Most teams only have 2, maybe 3 colors on their logo. A handful have 4, one of which is the Redskins. A good rule in branding is to not do anything like the Redskins.
As a customer, you look at the 49ers current logo and just see compromise, not bold branding. Jed needs to change the logo to this
THERE’s my Red & Gold 49ers. I would buy the crap out of products with that logo on them. “But making that change would require so much WORK. Think of all the places you’d have to change!” Right, only a crazy visionary would insist on that kind of change. Only a man who truly understands that the 49ers are about red and gold, not red and gold and black and white. Speaking of..
Get Rid of the Black and Red Jerseys Forever
Selling black jerseys seems to have been an ownership obsession since the 90’s, thus the increasing inclusion of black in the logo. Black items sell well, other teams are doing it, “the players asked for it”, therefore it’s alright, right?
Wrong.
Let’s talk color meanings. Colors evoke emotions in us. This is a subjective science, but studies suggest…that red and black paired together mean blood and death. And if you think I’m lying, look up what the Germans were wearing in the 1940s (sorry to use such an extreme example, but it’s true). Blood and death might be a scary image on the field, but scary isn’t the 49ers brand.
Things change for red when it’s paired with gold.
Gold is the color of prestige and excellence. Gold then activates red as a color of passion, not blood. Passion and excellence are a much more positive message for a potential ticket-buyer than blood and death, and fits in much more closely with the 49ers’ core message. Wait…what is their core message?
Jed, You Need a Thesis
Jed allegedly said he wants the 49ers to be a “technology startup within the NFL”. This is actually a really good idea, but he’s going at it from the outside in. He moved near the other tech companies. He’s hiring kids in hoodies. He’s asking them to sleep at the facility. He’s doing everything he’s seen on Silicon Valley. But despite what T.O. says, even if it quacks like a duck, it isn’t necessarily a duck.
My sister works in the heart of Silicon Valley. I worked there for 10 minutes myself. And I can tell you a tech success isn’t a bunch of geniuses looking to get rich. A true startup is a bunch of outsiders with passion for a new way to do something. Not that they want to build a smarter phone so their stock will rise and they can take a nap. That they can make impossible, possible, for the sake of helping people and a better future.
What Jed has done with Levi’s Stadium is what those well-read techies call “cargo culting”. In WWII, Allied forces descended upon small islands in the Pacific with airplanes, food and Coca-Cola. When the troops left, the indigenous tribes literally built airplanes in bamboo effigy, hoping that the Gods would return with more soda pop. Basically, cargo culting means you go through the motions of someone else’s success without really knowing why it worked.
Jed, you’re not a “tech startup”. If you want to play that game their are plenty of guys in suits (or flip flops) who will take your money so you can become the next Zynga. What you don’t realize is…the 49ers are actually something much more.
The 49ers are about new ideas. The idea of timing routes and short passes was insane in the 70’s-80’s NFL, but Bill Walsh harnessed that power (because his roster sucked) and changed the game completely. He didn’t try to build the scariest team, he built the team that could travel in another dimension.
Jed, you’re not a startup. You’re an innovation company. You’re the ones who ask : “How can we get the most out of what we already have? What’s the smartest way to do something? What’s a new way to do something? What’s a crazy way to do something?”
A core message like innovation is applicable in all levels of your business. How do you innovate with your ticketing system? How do you innovate with 49ers T-Shirts? And yes, how do you innovate on the football field?
Then, the real home run, fans who innovate in their own lives, can feel as if they’re doing things the 49er way. The right way, the smart way. This, is, branding, GOLD.
Jed, you’re the freaking Cadillac of the biggest league in the country. Stop slumming your brand with something you’re not. The Santa Clara 49ers need to go. You need to..
Demolish Levi’s Stadium
You knew I’d get here didn’t you? The stadium and the move were Step 1 for the angst hardcore fans have for the team. And the reason is simple- it’s the dream of 1 man only. Only 1 man on Planet Earth in his office on 49er Way looked out the window and thought “Someday, we’ll play in the parking lot.”
Jed, we don’t like it. It’s a pretty building, and solar panels and VIP and other things you want us to like. We don’t.
Here’s one reason- Levi’s Stadium doesn’t exist in a real place. There’s no definite landmarks to tell you, “Damn, I’m in (insert city name). This is special.” The greatest thing about AT&T Park is the idea you could hit a home run into the Bay…because they’re a team from the Bay and look how connected they are to the area they’re representing.
Instead Levi’s Stadium is in “Santa Clara”, which until Levi’s construction was a city that mattered as much as Rohnert Park does in Sonoma County (local reference sorry). Where Jed really wants it to be located is in “Silicon Valley”, most famous for the Internet which is not a place you can actually go.
When I walk the streets near Levi’s Stadium, I could be in any city in America that got a building permit. Office buildings upon office buildings. There’s not one landmark to tell me I’m actually “somewhere”.
The stadium also has no competitive design elements…like say a design that makes crowd noise louder than ever. I hear that type of thing is working up in Seattle. Instead the stadium is designed to “sell suites” also known as “make money”, the same reason it’s located in the Internet’s parking lot. There’s probably a stadium design that could help the home team that I’m not even thinking of! What a great opportunity to innovate with an avant garde architect.
Jed, I know, billions of dollars already spent, you would never demolish it. But you should. Every time we watch a game, they don’t show footage of the beige streets of SANTA CLARA, they show San Francisco! Every time I even hear “San Francisco Forty Niners” mentioned, I cringe, because you’re not the San Francisco Forty Niners anymore. When the shear mention of your full brand name makes me think of a lie, you’ve got a serious problem.
So…what’s the fix?
Build an Underground Stadium at Kezar
OHHHHH, you did not see that one comin’, did ya? Is that even possible? An 80,000 seat stadium, dug into the ground. Well, Michigan did it.
Just the idea alone is chomping through your brain right now. Digging it into the ground would preserve the skyline of the area and would be very unique (and innovative!). Then you think of the 49ers’ heritage at that site, the landmarks it’d be near, right on Golden Gate Park! Right next to the Haight! They’re starting to feel like the San Francisco 49ers again aren’t they?
This is just one idea a total novice spitballed, but anything in this vein would save this team. A move back to San Francisco, with a definitive landmark and an embrace of Bay Area culture sells this franchise as the Bay’s Team again, instead of a Cheesecake Factory in an Amusement parking lot.
Side note: KEEP THE MUSEUM. Tucked away in the belly of Jed’s San Jose concert venue is a little red and gold powerball called the 49ers Museum. The Museum is everything that’s still right with the brand, or maybe the only thing that’s right with the brand. Make sure to pick up and move the museum to the new stadium before you take the wrecking ball to Levi’s.
Buy a Radio Station
I’m a radio guy, of course this would be one of my ideas LoL!
When they’re not back-rubbing the Giants or pre-empting Warrior Playoff Games, that sports station in San Francisco is hating on the Niners. Probably because they’re disgruntled just like this post is, but mostly because there is no ownership reason not to. You’ll never hear them spew venom like that against the Giants because the Giants own part of the station.
Look, we don’t need 102.9 The Homer. NFL Network has proven that a franchise-owned media outlet can provide decent content, and that’s all we’re really looking for. Leave the journalism to Outside the Lines.
Call it Red & Gold Radio, talk 49ers 24/7, games, in-depth interviews, team history and more. I don’t know that an entire FM has been dedicated to an NFL team before, but that’s just the type of commitment we’re looking for, Jed.
Yes, I know there are a million digital 49er options, but sorry podcasters, you suck at radio (just like I probably suck at writing hahaha). Real live radio by actual broadcasters is still pretty big and very easy to use. I just want to get in my car, press a button and get live discussion about my team.
Pick a Cause
When Jed followed Colin’s lead and donated $1 million to “bridge the gap” on racial issues, I was actually very impressed. To this point, the team doesn’t really have a charity identity. They do charitable things, but too many different charitable things.
Having a sole charitable endeavor helps cut through the noise as a brand. As a consumer who has maybe 2mb of brain space to remember each brand’s charity, I know that Sleep Train is all about foster kids. I know that Chili’s helps St. Jude. I know that Kraft wants to feed the hungry. I could not tell you what the 49ers support.
Race would actually be a perfect issue for the team to take on. In a world of division, the 49ers can become a unifying force in the Bay Area, a model of how we can come together and achieve something great. This issue also perfectly reflects a fact about the region- the Bay Area is an incredibly diverse place.
It’s STEAM, Not STEM
Now that I think about it, there is one cause the 49ers have gotten behind- STEM, which as anyone who’s said that acronym for the first time will tell you, stands for Science Technology Engineering and Math. Of course Jed’s into STEM, it fits in with the rest of his cold, calculated decisions, and is also another obvious attempt to get in the heads of gonna-be techies at an early age.
Science and math are very important, but so is Art! So let’s make it STEAM, Science Technology Engineering Art and Math, which prior to new millennium branding buzz words was just called EDUCATION.
How can art and the 49ers come together? How about engaging a local artist for an installation at the stadium each season? How about Jed only wears 49ers-inspired suits from an aspiring Bay Area fashion designer every home game? How about bringing Huey Lewis, Santana and G Eazy together to finally record a team song better than this one?
You probably think I’m out there on this one, but I’m telling you it matters. If the organization is a bunch of left-brain, number-crunching robots, that trickles down to the locker room. Sid Gillman literally told Steve Young “Steve, this is not game, it’s a canvas, and you are Michelangelo.” Creativity is a huge part of success. You need creative types….like writers…
Sit Down With Ann Killion, Ray Ratto and Mark Purdy
These 3 writers have forgotten more 49ers history than Jed will ever know. If they’re willing, there is nobody better to explain to Jed both the media’s and public’s perception of his team. They know things I’m not even thinking of, and there’s so many more. Scott Ostler. Matt Maiocco of course. Matt Barrows. I’d say Tim Kawakami too, but he’s blocked so many people on Twitter, I don’t know how anyone would get him the invite ;-).
Don’t Hide the Team
NFL Network’s show Top 10 had a 49ers episode, and amongst Hearst stiff-arms and Dallas Star celebrations was a clip of Steve Mariucci taking tolls on the Bay Bridge in 1998 as a stunt to promote the start of the season. This may be the only documented instance of the 49ers having fun. For a team that has 6 months off they sure find a way to be unavailable all the time. Even in my own radio career I’ve interacted with the 49ers organization exactly 1 time, when Carlos Hyde wanted free tickets to our country festival.
Get out there! Surprise a high school at half time! Photobomb the mayor of SF at a ribbon-cutting! Walk-in unannounced on your TV partner KPIX! Send out a player at every one of those concerts you want to throw at your stadium! Take over a Safeway and have every player bag groceries for an hour! The Packers ride bikes with their young fans. Do something to show that this team is a fun group that fans and families should pay attention (and pay $$) to, instead of career athletes finally excited to collect a check from a banker looking for a 9% ROI this season.
So there it is, my list of fixes. You might ask, how marketing and branding fixes can really affect the product on the field? No doubt the team needs talent, and bright football minds to find that talent. But a solid gold franchise foundation attracts people who will wait to die for you, rather than paycheck-recipients like Darnell Dockett who literally said “I told the guys, if we weren’t on this team, we wouldn’t be in the Bay Area”.
Jed, I get it, you have an investment to protect. You really, really want to make crap-ton of money. And you know what? We actually really, really want to give you our money. But we only want to give it to something that matters. And right now, the 49ers do not matter to the Bay Area, because the Bay Area doesn’t matter to the 49ers.
This post was written by Dano, Afternoon Personality on Froggy 92.9 in Santa Rosa, CA. He is also a contributor for KSRO and a lifelong 49er fan. He knows that this post was long, but we suck this season, so it’s not like you had anything better to do ;-). Please comment below with your thoughts, good or bad. He wants to see them!