USD officials pleased with brand expansion efforts

USD merchandise has been popping up in more places lately, and the sheer variety of wares is dizzying.

The university’s brand can be found emblazoned on glassware, baby items, golf balls, flags, bedding and, of course, the ubiquitous sweaters, hats and t-shirts.

Because of a concentrated effort on the part of USD, these and other goods festooned with its logo are now sold in greater quantities in farther flung locations.

“We created a job called ‘retail specialist,’ “ Tena Haraldson, director of communications, said.

Haraldson said the position, which was created a few years ago, was given to Vermillion native Diane Wirth.

As USD transitioned from a Division II school to Division I, the USD administration felt it important to promote the USD brand more actively, Haraldson said.

The process was somewhat difficult in the beginning, Haraldson said, as manufacturers needed convincing that USD merchandise could be profitable.

“People are frustrated because they don’t see as much of our red as SDSU (for sale),” she said. “About anything that any other college has, we’re trying to get for USD.”

One place that was singled out as a heavier USD presence was the Sioux Empire Mall in Sioux Falls, where Haraldson said USD first set up temporary “carts” to sell Coyote products three years ago, and was met with heavy holiday demand.

USD then rented out a space in the mall formerly occupied by Hat World for the 2014 holiday season and moved into the former Jos. A. Bank store Nov. 1, a much larger facility at 4,000 square feet.

The Sioux City Southern Hills Mall has also recently become a significant player in carrying the USD brand, Haraldson said.

And the more USD merchandise that goes out the door there and everywhere else, Haraldson said, the better.

That’s because when people walk around in USD-branded clothing, “they’re walking billboards,” Haraldson said.

Part of the push to increase the number of “walking billboards” reduced the total number of actual billboards promoting USD, said Scott Pohlson, the vice president of Marketing, Enrollment and University Relations.

“We took some of the money we use for billboards and allocated it to merchandising,” he said. “That’s really grown awareness of USD.”

Pohlson said four or five billboards were pulled to promote merchandise, which he believes was a good move.

“It’s hard to measure if a billboard really moves you to do anything,” he said.

Still, Pohlson said USD’s billboards in areas such as Omaha and Rapid City remain extremely popular, to the degree that USD has received fanmail from locals praising the boards.

Beyond the ability of the merchandise to act as a promotional tool, both Haraldson and Pohlson said the sale of USD merchandise benefits students as well.

Because USD is the owner of the logo which appears on its clothing, it’s entitled to a royalty fee of 10 percent of the wholesale value of the products. This money, Haraldson and Pohlson said, is used for scholarships.

“It’s for a good cause,” Pohlson said. “We put it toward the things that we’re here for.”

Pohlson said he’s been pleased with the responses to USD’s merchandising efforts.

“Frankly, it’s fun,” he said. “There’s so many things you can do with it (merchandising).”