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In the Spirit Shop thread, I posted a letter from John Koerner, Sr. Assoc. AD about the changes taking place with that place of business. I replied to that letter and inquired about the difficulty some vendors have in getting SMU-themed apparel and other products with the SMU logo on it. There's been a lot of discussion over the past few years on www.ponyfans.com about the lack of SMU-themed items, just right here in Dallas itself. Here's Mr. Koerner's response to that topic:

In response to the licensing question. The response your wife received on licensing from the vendor was absolutely wrong. (Note from MM1965: My wife went to a school fundraiser bazaar where a vendor said he couldn't get the licensing for SMU products. He had plenty for A&M, UT, OU, etc.) If I knew the vendor's name, I would look into the situation because I am the Licensing Director for SMU.

We have a aggressive licensing program; but vendors must be licensed to use the SMU mark. We shut down and pursue those that do not have permission. Anyone can get a license but the licensing process is usually only completed by vendors that plan to be in business for the long term. We have a few garage and home businesses, but not very many.

Sometimes I limit the use of the SMU mark in areas where the merchandise market is oversaturated with a particular vendor line of products. For example: The hat market is very competitive. We have 10 or more companies that make hats, so if another company requests to make SMU hats, I will closely examine their business plan and their customer base. I want to make sure the 10 companies we have stay strong and I don't want the hat market to become oversaturated for all of the companies.

For the most part, supply and demand control the merchandise market. Our SMU Athletic Department Marketing Team has made numerous efforts to get our product in sporting goods stores and department stores. SMU merchandise has not been desired. Stores do not like merchandise that sits on the shelf too long. Retail profit margins are low, but if they turn over their product quickly they are happy. If the product sits on the shelf too long it is stale and they will not order more or replace their orders. Stale merchandise has been a problem for some of our local retail outlets.

We have the potential to gear up very quickly if the consumer attitude changes. Our sport teams can influence dramatic change very quickly and the licensing vendors can get product to the outlets in a matter of days and weeks.

One of the reasons we changed the Sport Shop vendor is because that is something we CAN change and influence. I do not control what happens at Dillards and Foleys and Academy Sports, but I can influence change at the Sport Shop and we did. If our change is not successful or is not embraced by our fans, we will look for another change. We are not satisfied with standing still. We want to improve and make things better and we will not be satisfied with just leaving things as they were.

One last comment. The Sprit Shop did a really good job at customer service and with catering to a narrow high economic Alumni base. But their product was not all that popular with the student population and with youth. To be honest, the 15 to 25 age group could not afford the merchandise. This is one of the things we want to change. We want to provide merchandise at the high end but also at the low end and middle.

Thanks for your input and feel free to write or call me any time.

Sincerely,

John Koerner
Sr. Associate Athletic Director

In a FW Walmart in late August of 95, I bought a cheap white STARS cap. It was to reflect the sun off of my head while I went sailing for the first time on Lake Benbrook. It cost me $2.99, and looked pretty nice for the money. In fact, I've worn it to many SMU games, especially after they won the Stanley Cup.

This guy is typical Copeland, complacent, and not thinking hard enough. Couldn't we outsource SMU cap production to China, and get a Walmart contract to sell them for $5 (inflation from $2.99) in the Texas area?





Copeland, its ALL his fault

Yeah, great idea...lets support China and their cheap labor force. The problem is a basic business problem...no demand no supply. Until we create a demand, there isn't going to be a supply. BTW, you're a tightwad. Let's keep supporting cheap imports and the day will come when we can't manufacture anything in this country because all the manufacturing labor force will be on welfare. Your whole economic model can't be based upon the service industry. I can see it now...we will have China manufacture our military equipment because it is cheaper...probably won't work, but what the hell...it was cheap.

shouldn't you be going after unions and entitlement government first so that manufacturing in US would actually be attractive and cost effective to companies?

Do you really think that is the answer to competing with countries where a manufacturing laborer gets paid less than five dollars a day? If you are going to lower the pay of the blue collar worker then you probably need to lower the pay of the white collar worker too. We can take everyone back to the pay levels of the 1950s and then maybe we could compete with the rest of the world...of course we would then have to live like the rest of the world.

We could probably get into a long discussion on national and world economy, etc., but it would boor most everyone to death. Besides, this is a football board...right?

"bisiness plan"? -damn that sounds a lot like a Model? Now what's the first thing that needs to be done to create a successful business plan in a competitive environment. Answer that first question before even bothering with demand.

Duuh! There is no one on this board who disagrees with you regarding the "Model", Stallion. There is also no one on this board who can change it. There is no one on this board who can fire or hire a University President, an AD, a coach or even a janitor at SMU. The best I can tell, the model has changed...to the point we want it to change, obviously not. When Pye handed the keys to the University over to the Faculty Senate, he pretty well sold out the athletic department. Calling other fans names isn't going to change anything either, so don't get your panties in a wad if they are offended and strike back...you have earned most of the grief thrown at you.

Off subject...as for the "90 Greatest Moments", which you so loath, I can guaranty you the vast majority of them will be from the pre-dp years. You may not think much of the ones they have posted at the bottom of the list and that is your perrogative, but they are just that....the bottom of the list. Feel free to substitute your own choices for those bottom of the list positions, then we can discuss them instead. The only ones that are going to have any real meaning will be the top 25.

Stallion wrote:Now what's the first thing that needs to be done to create a successful business plan in a competitive environment.

You need to have a product that sells!!! In other words, winning football/basketball teams!!!

obviously you don't understand. A winning football team is a result not a business plan.-or in my words a Model.

One local business that deserves business from PonyFans: Sigel's Liquor on Greenville (between Lovers and Southwestern) has a collection of drink koozies, and yes, their collection includes SMU (and they're different from the ones on/near campus).

Stallion wrote:obviously you don't understand. A winning football team is a result not a business plan.-or in my words a Model.

*LOL*

PK wrote:Yeah, great idea...lets support China and their cheap labor force. The problem is a basic business problem...no demand no supply. Until we create a demand, there isn't going to be a supply. BTW, you're a tightwad. Let's keep supporting cheap imports and the day will come when we can't manufacture anything in this country because all the manufacturing labor force will be on welfare. Your whole economic model can't be based upon the service industry. I can see it now...we will have China manufacture our military equipment because it is cheaper...probably won't work, but what the hell...it was cheap.

You forgot the little the little intersection of the demand, supply, and price
curve lines where if it kinda looks neat, I'll buy it. That was the case
when I bought the Stars hat. I wasn't really a Stars fan, they weren't
that popualr in DFW yet.

One of the problems that happens in this kind of a world is the concept of protecting your suppliers. Why do I find Ohio State hats at Walmart here in DC (500 miles from Ohio)? Because Walmart got them cheap from somewhere. I have a ton of Capitals hats that they give away on hat night. They are decent hats and keep the sun off my bald head. I agree with you that if people aren't buying our stuff, its because its partly because its too expensive and because we don't have a fan base. Flood the market with some cheap hats for a couple of months with the Mustang logo and SMU on it, and you'll probably have two or three gangs around buying the hats because it has a horse on it.