You See Berkeley Representin’
The Berkeley NewsCenter has released the 30-second spot to be shown during the bowl game on the 28th. The Bears will face the Texas A&M Aggies in San Diego.
The news brief on the site explains that this advertisement for Cal
will celebrate the vibrant world of Cal academics and athletics, show off some of the campus’ beautiful vistas and make it clear to sports fans across the country that Cal and UC Berkeley are, of course, one and the same.
It’s the first video to be produced in hi-def. Kinda cool, but nothing spectacular. We’ve got the obligatory Campanile shot, some research, lots of athletics (this is for a football game, remember?), and some studying. Hey, we’ve even got a “diverse” representation of people.
It was put together rather quickly too. (The taping for the brief library scene happened around finals time — some kids weren’t too happy about that.) It may be a little too polished, professional, and contrived, but from a video editor’s point of view, it’s very well-done. You see perfection.
Still can’t beat the Whose Domicile? commercial. This is far better than the stunningly embarassing graduation cap flitting about the campus commercial from a few years back. And I’m glad they’re finally moving away from maintaining an academic brand and a sports brand.
Comment by Mike Davis — December 23, 2006 @ 6:46 am
i LOVE the whose domicile commercial. that was a perfect mix of athletics and academics, and damn funny too. this one isn’t bad.
Comment by steph — December 23, 2006 @ 12:26 pm
Whose Domicile? will always be legendary, but this is a fine, classy commercial.
Comment by Glicky — December 23, 2006 @ 11:58 pm
Off-topic but worth it:
There’s a new decal being offered in the Spring, “The Weblog as a Medium for Nonfiction Creative Writing”. Seems like a great way for beginners to get started (I’m talking to all of you collectively, anonybots), and for everyone as motivation to be prolific.
Comment by Chris Smyr — December 24, 2006 @ 1:48 am
the domicile commercial was great, but, it is great to hear that the university recognizes its identity crisis between sports and academics and is trying to change it
Comment by hey dude — December 26, 2006 @ 2:11 pm
Good commercial.
Best way to address divide between academics and athletics is to raise admissions standards and graduation rates.
As far as the Cal/Berkeley split, the university should do more to include the “Berkeley” brand on signage and on fields/courts.
Comment by Bhanu Singh — December 27, 2006 @ 12:09 pm
That is ridiculous. We are the university of CALifornia. We are CAL. UCBerkeley is what you brag about when you first get your acceptance, or after you arrive on campus etc. But when you graduate, you realize you are a CAL Alum! UCDavis, UCR, UCLA, UCI, etc. We don’t need the UC pefix. We gave birth to the whole damn system.
Comment by Shawn — December 30, 2006 @ 12:37 am
I agree we don’t need the UC prefix. Around the world our most dominant brand is simply “Berkeley”, or “Buh-kuh-lee” in Asia. Outside of regional California, no one knows what the hell “Cal” is.
Comment by Bhanu Singh — December 30, 2006 @ 2:37 pm
you dont get my point. We are the University of California. Just like UNC is the University of North Carolina, even though they have other satelite campuses in greensboro etc. They dont say UNC-Chapel Hill. When i said we don’t need the UC, I’m saying we shouldnt be UCB. Either CAL or the University of California.
Comment by Shawn — December 30, 2006 @ 3:31 pm
Shawn, you don’t get it. Terms are defined by the people who use them. By convention, UC refers to the entire system, not just Berkeley. It is not within your power to change this convention. Instead, it is in our interests to link the two names, Cal and Berkeley, to avoid confusion. That Cal is already used to refer to Berkeley is sufficient proof of a historical tradition, no? Why be ashamed of “Berkeley”? The name is already prestigious.
Comment by No, Shawn — January 4, 2007 @ 8:37 am
No, Shawn - exactly.
The Berkeley brand is already built into a global name for better or for worse - might as well exploit it.
Comment by Bhanu Singh — January 4, 2007 @ 5:12 pm