New Name, Same Game

Yes, it’s true. The Adcenter is no more.

Some people are mad at the name change to Brandcenter. Others are simply mad that students weren’t consulted in designing the new building, site (I was told R/GA did it free) or logo (from David Hartman), or in coming up with the new name.

While the building, site and logo are entirely different, irrelevant issues, I am completely fine with and excited about all four.

Advertising hasn’t been about “traditional advertising” for at least the past 10+ years. It hasn’t been just TV spots, print work or even the web. It has been a holistic, integrated, who’s-gonna-think-of-the-next-cool-way-to-build-this-brand-into-a-powerhouse business. It has been a how-can-we-make-this-piece-of-thinking-into-not-an-ad business. It has been an I-don’t-give-a-shit-what-your-idea-is-as-long-as-it-pushes-things-forward business. It’s been a business that’s been teetering on the edge of change, of what is possible. Of what’s new. Of what’s different.

Basically, it’s been all about the changing nature of brands and what a brand is. And it always has been.

Adcenter’s just the first to actually embrace it with a name.

2008, it seems, is going to be a whole new year for us, but only in the physical sense:

New logo. New Clive Wilkinson-designed building. New website. New promotional videos series. New Creativity article. New Ad Age article. New comfortable chairs. New sundeck. New skylights. New unstained carpets. New un-love-stained couches. New door-less faculty offices. New bathrooms that don’t require key card swipe-ins. New pong table. New foosball table. New neon-colored floors. New Bayside High-style lockers. New showers. New ridiculous, canopied conference room. New oddly-shaped, unnecessarily huge cement table.

Same game.

dubs. out.