Notre Dame Football: Time to Talk Branding Taglines

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish approach a new season with a new head coach, a new mindset, and a new Twitter hashtag. While the Midwestern suburban high school student in me cringes at many attempts at manufactured hype, as a writer, I do enjoy seeing the message and creativity behind a season’s branding tagline, even if I could do without the jersey patches.

2022: For the Irish

This one came off as a little too direct to me at first; it seemed a bit like saying “Go, Irish!” and calling it a day. However, a wise soul once told me being Irish means you stand up for that in which you believe, and the emphasis on the school’s Irish heritage in combination with the unifying message won me over.

Also, if you put some Celtic knots on something I automatically love it. I can’t help it. The simple but undeniably Celtic script earns points, here. Make those letters a nice gold and I’d say they'd look good on a white hoodie. What do ya think?

2021: More Than Ever

The underlying aim here was to call to mind a return to normal football after the 2020 season, but the hype factor just isn’t here with this one. Effective copywriting allows the reader to draw his or her own conclusion, yes, but even the implied theme of the game beyond the pandemic underneath this one just doesn't do enough to fire a fan up.

2020: Rally.

This one cut to the chase. It went right to the point. The straightforward and confident call sent the right message just a a few months into the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic. I loved it for the same reason the classic gold helmet, blue jersey and gold pants stand the test of time: less is more.

Those block letters, though... Punchy. Blunt. Unapologetic. Plus, the promo video made me want to run through a brick wall.

While “God, Country, Notre Dame” packs more of a punch than anything even the most marketing-savvy social media natives could deliver, #ForTheIrish earns my seal of approval.

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