During their visit to NC State’s Carter-Finley Stadium July 1, The Rolling Stones found themselves in a bit of a marketing mix-up after the band’s promoter allegedly forgot to ask permission to use a modified version of NC State’s logo on official merchandise.
The unofficially NC State-branded merchandise, which included a “Go Stones” rally towel, a football jersey and several shirts, featured the Tuffy mascot with its face replaced by the Stones’ iconic tongue-and-lip logo.
“Even if the school doesn’t get a cut of the money, they are still a part of something awesome,” said Eric Lawson, Raleigh native and Stones fan. “Regardless, I can’t really see the band’s promoter doing something like this on purpose because this tour is nothing but a money generating machine. I think there is more than plenty of cash to go around.”
Gregg Zarnstorff, director of trademark licensing for Campus Enterprises, said that The Rolling Stones’ promoter, AEG Live, asked to use the modified version of Tuffy back in March to drive ticket sales online and through advertisements. However, the deal did not allow for the graphic to be used on merchandise.
“As this involved the Tuffy trademark, we asked whether [AEG Live] intended to use it on merchandise as that would require a trademark license and royalties and some additional design considerations,” Zarnstorff said. “There was nothing in the agreement with The Rolling Stones’ promoter or merchandising company that allowed the use [of the logo] on products.”
Zarnstorff attributes the error to miscommunication saying, “My guess is that the reason the design ended up on merchandise is that there was a miscommunication between the company doing the concert promotion and the company contracted to provide merchandise.”
The university is currently working to resolve this issue and is expected to receive its full trademark royalties — 12 percent — toward the end of August, according to Zarnstorff.
As for how much NC State will receive, Zarnstorff said that the university does not currently have an estimate but that the sales seemed to be very brisk at the event.
“The shirts are awesome; I wouldn’t have bought one otherwise,” Lawson said. “The [merchandise] documents the Stones being at NC State specifically, not just in Raleigh. I think that’s a good enough reason to not get worked up about the appropriate royalties.”
However, Zarnstorff said the money earned from merchandise royalties is beneficial because it supports scholarships, endowments and student programs.
“This year we will transfer $800,000, all from the sales of officially licensed NC State products,” Zarnstorff said. “Merit, financial need, study abroad, athletic scholarships and student support programs receive distributions each fall.”
The tongue-and-Tuffy logo was not the only risky marketing approach inspired by The Rolling Stone’s nostalgic performance.
According to an article published by SB Nation, Carter-Finley Stadium recently released a maybe not-so-flattering electronic advertisement that reads “You Can’t Always Get What You Want … But You Can Still Get 2015 Pack Football Tickets!”
The marketing tagline pays tribute to The Rolling Stones’ 1969 Billboard hit but has fans questioning the sincerity of the slogan.
“At least the shirts look cool and make sense,” Lawson said. “I don’t think that slogan is going to do much for our football crowds. It sounds like the marketing team is saying ‘We all know this is not really want you want.’”
