Jaguars Unveil New Logo, Ticket-Pricing Plans; Team Eyes Record-Size Scoreboards

The Jaguars yesterday “unveiled their new logo” along with the slogan “Stand United’’ for the upcoming season as well as new ticket-pricing plans, according to Vito Stellino of the FLORIDA TIMES-UNION. But the “most eye-catching feature" of the news conference conducted by Owner Shahid Khan and President Mark Lamping "was a proposal to install the biggest scoreboards in the country in the end zones at EverBank Field" at a cost of close to $50M. Lamping said that if “they can finalize a deal with the city, which owns the stadium and would be responsible for paying for the scoreboards, in 60 to 90 days, the scoreboards could be installed by this fall.” They would be “about 52 feet high and 348 feet wide.” The new logo introduced “was not a radical change from the current one, but it is a fiercer looking Jaguar.” The design change “includes the realigning of the jaw, adjusting the positioning of the ear and adding white around the mouth and eye.” The Jaguars also will “have a secondary mark featuring the new Jaguars logo underneath a bold graphic treatment for the nickname, ‘Jags,’ paying homage to the military roots of Jacksonville.” In addition, they will have a “new logotype or word mark that was slightly updated by removing the trailing lines” from the bottom of the word “Jaguars.” The team unveiled its ticket-pricing plans and said the per-game price for 80% of seats "will remain unchanged.” The per-game price for 17% "will be increased" and 3% "will be reduced.” Meanwhile, the team is set to play a game in London for the next four years and plans “to hire a sales executive to lead sponsorship sales” (FLORIDA TIMES-UNION, 2/6). In Jacksonville, Ashley Gurbal Kritzer reported other marketing efforts this season “will include digital billboards in Gainesville, Orlando and Savannah, Ga.” Town hall-style “fan forum” meetings “throughout Northeast Florida begin at the end of February” (BIZJOURNALS.com, 2/5).

THE SEAL OF THE TEAL: Jaguars Senior VP/Communications Dan Edwards said that the club "worked with the NFL creative team" to create the new logo (THE DAILY). ESPN.com’s Paul Lukas noted the change marks “the first helmet logo revision in the team's 18-year history.” The update is a “big hit here at Uni Watch HQ.” The old logo “wasn't bad, but it looks crude and sloppy compared to the new one.” The teal nose is “a little weird, and the teal eye is even weirder.” But Lukas added, “I gather we'll all get used to them, just like we got used to the teal tongue on the old logo. Let's hope this all bodes well for the team's new uniforms, which are due to be unveiled around the time of the NFL draft in April” (ESPN.com, 2/5). In Jacksonville, Matt Soergel wrote the colors are “crisper, brighter,” and the new logo “honors the old one, but stands on its own.” Soergel: “Most importantly, it kept the teal tongue -- and even emphasizes it.” Jacksonville-based marketing and advertising firm Robin Shepherd Group Creative Dir Mike Guiry said, "I like it. It crops well. It’s definitely a radical shift in the style. … The ears are pinned back, the teeth are sharper. It’s more realistic, and definitely a closer tie to the jaguar in front of the stadium. The bright color palette, I think, is interesting.” He added, "This is an evolution, but there's definitely a jump" (JACKSONVILLE.com, 2/5). YAHOO SPORTS’ Kevin Kaduk wrote the “cat got a little bit of Botox and the result is a more colorful and pulled-back look” (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 2/5). ESPN’s Michael Wilbon asked Tony Kornheiser about the Jaguars new logo, “What do you think of this junk?” Comparing the previous logo to the new one, Kornheiser said the new mark is “marginally better, but better.” Wilbon: “Somebody paid huge money for that? Some kid could have done that on his Etch-A-Sketch” (“PTI,” ESPN, 2/5).