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Introducing The US1 Billboard Final Push: FIRE BLAKE JAMES

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canesbaby said:
This is the thing that scares me the most. Is papa really going to allow his son to be fired no matter how poorly he performs?
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At his current pace, he won't have a leg to stand on when the guys with money who call the shots (not Blake although many in this thread would wrongly suggest otherwise) bring the axe. Diaz Sr's favors have been called and they're all even.

The problem with it all, is money. Nobody is happy with 6-6 and the way it happened. Anyone who suggest otherwise is a complete and utter fool.
 
The Svengali said:
What I see based on a quick glance:

1. Remove “demand excellence” (not needed. economy of words)
2. Highlight “fireblakejames.com (this is what you want to be the takeaway, yes?)
3. AD - casual observer won’t know what this abbreviation means. Abbreviations should always be spelled out when using them for the first time in a narrative. But in this instance, it’s not needed at all (see below)
4. Redundancy: No need to say fire AD Blake James, etc, when you’re also stating “fireblakejames.com”. Only use “fireblakejames.com” - this is your sticking point
4. 15 years and 0 ACC titles should not be highlighted in larger font and seemingly your primary message. Again, “fireblakejames.com” is your stinking point and where you want to point traffic (pun unintended). That needs larger font and should be primary.

If I were you all, I’d strongly consider working with someone that has done branding, marketing, communication experts etc at a high level before going live with all of this. It’s not my expertise - I’m on the consulting side of the house, but I work shoulder to shoulder with communication and branding experts, and I know what targeted messaging is supposed to look like.

I’ve recommended this several times, but can’t tell you guys how to run it.
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We know. You’re a brilliant consultant working with execs. This is the 2nd time you’ve posted that on here. No one cares.
 
Mel Bernstein said:
We know. You’re a brilliant consultant working with execs. This is the 2nd time you’ve posted that on here. No one cares.
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You absolutely care, and you’re envious (hanging on to my every word and following me around like a scorned woman). You’re comparing your lot in life to mine, and it ****es you off; that’s why you're been triggering so deeply by this and forced to post.

Facts!
 
The Svengali said:
You absolutely care, and you’re envious (hanging on to my every word and following me around like a scorned woman). You’re comparing your lot in life to mine, and it ****es you off; that’s why you're been triggering so deeply by this and forced to post.

Facts!
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Lol. Yeah, that’s what it is.
 
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The Svengali said:
Oh, yes sir. “Lol” ****. It’s definitely that
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Or it could be that you come off as a highly insecure individual. I’m guessing mid to high 30s with a somewhat newly minted MBA and working as a consultant until you realize there are better paths in life. Now you’re on here trying to come off as a subject matter expert and passing out advice that people are generally rightly ignoring. News flash, you’re not the only person with a top 10 MBA on this board that has taken your path or one like it. Stop justifying your existence with anecdotes about your role in the real world. People don’t care about your background on here. I hope you start to feel better about yourself soon.
 
The Svengali said:
What I see based on a quick glance:

1. Remove “demand excellence” (not needed. economy of words)
2. Highlight “fireblakejames.com (this is what you want to be the takeaway, yes?)
3. AD - casual observer won’t know what this abbreviation means. Abbreviations should always be spelled out when using them for the first time in a narrative. But in this instance, it’s not needed at all (see below)
4. Redundancy: No need to say fire AD Blake James, etc, when you’re also stating “fireblakejames.com”. Only use “fireblakejames.com” - this is your sticking point
4. 15 years and 0 ACC titles should not be highlighted in larger font and seemingly your primary message. Again, “fireblakejames.com” is your stinking point and where you want to point traffic (pun unintended). That needs larger font and should be primary.

If I were you all, I’d strongly consider working with someone that has done branding, marketing, communication experts etc at a high level before going live with all of this. It’s not my expertise - I’m on the consulting side of the house, but I work shoulder to shoulder with communication and branding experts, and I know what targeted messaging is supposed to look like.

I’ve recommended this several times, but can’t tell you guys how to run it.
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Point taken on #3. We can also play with the font sizing/positioning and other minor tweaks, as long as @Kendall Boy Cane is willing who’s done a great job with the design work so far.

I hear and appreciate your overall advise and think it’s good, but the variable you’re not factoring in is time. I work a demanding job that sucks up more than 40 hours a week. I have other commitments and responsibilities besides that. I can’t afford to turn this into an additional payless part time job which is what would be required to really do this “right” on my own. As it is, I’m already stretched thin.

I stepped up to do this since I sincerely think something like this by the fan base is necessary, and if I didn’t everyone would have likely just sat on their hands or just continued *****ing on here and Twitter. So while the effort is far from perfect it’s infinitely better than nothing.

I would love nothing more to see this school actually contribute to the community in a big way once more. I think the administration has completely dropped the ball in that and in all aspects, not even just football or athletics. It’s really quite a shame given the resources and opportunity they have. And, like the other donors to this billboard, I believe the community absolutely has the leverage to do something about it if we care enough to try.
 
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MIA42178 said:
New AD won’t just come in and fire coaches. But Manny’s leash is going to be shorter without Blake there. It might hasten a new coaching staff a little.
the most important thing is we have a new, very good AD to make the next coaching hires.
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This is why I want a 2 for 1 deal. Get both those bums the **** out of here.
 
I can't believe we haven't reached the threshold yet for the amount required for the billboard. Why complain if you aren't willing to do anything to help fix it?
 
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OriginalGatorHater said:
This is why I want a 2 for 1 deal. Get both those bums the **** out of here.
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Manny isn’t leaving now for financial reasons a billboard will not change. Should he fail this hard a second year he’s gone anyway, ESPECIALLY with a new AD in place. It’s pointless to include him.

Blake on the other hand is very vulnerable after so many years, the manny hiring fiasco, the golden suit, the performance of other sports etc. He needs to be the sole focus since that’s where we’re going to get the most bang for the buck.
 
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305_separatist said:
View attachment 104317

Alternative public link: https://ibb.co/wL0Ny13

Link to fundraising page: https://www.gofundme.com/f/us1-billboard-protest-um-administration

After overwhelming public and private input from the four corners of Cane fandom, this is the semi-final message and design I've settled on. Special thanks to @Kendall Boy Cane for helping to make it a reality. The highlights on reasoning:

1. We want to call out the Board of Trustees to spur some action, however calling them out by several individual names would be too confusing message wise and can easily backfire. We also want the message to be simple. They have failed the program.

2. For simplicity in message, football needs to be the focus. If you substitute athletics then it's hard to summarize it with one stat like we do here.

3. Fire Blake James. Should be obvious, it's the central and immediate course of action we are demanding here. Adding in Strawley confuses it, since who is that after all? The overall message to focus on is we want to fire the head man in charge of it all and actually hold the department to a standard it hasn't been held to in the last 15 years.

4. Website link exists to make an extensive case against blake james in particular, and maybe also promote Alonzo Highsmith as a replacement. Ideally the website owner is open to coordinating, if not I'll just substitute another link before go time.

So where are we with fundraising? Unfortunately set back a bit. My original target of $4500 was based on general estimates for boards in the area. However, US1 commands a natural premium and the holidays and approaching Super Bowl combined are also pushing prices to new highs. Here is the most practical location we are able to get.

View attachment 104287

The spot is a trivision, meaning it cycles between two other billboards, which is not ideal but is *much* cheaper than the traditional ones on the same stretch. Final cost? $7,100. Good news is that as you can see, it's within spitting distance of campus.

Is that a high number? Yes. Is it achievable? Yes. We've raised nearly $4000 with extremely minimal information so far. No message, no location, nothing. I've received a plethora of public and private comments from those who are willing to donate once those things were settled and disclosed, and I'm sure there's many more. Well now is your time, and time for us all to blast this thing all over twitter and every other Canes message board. The two main combined threads for this have received over 30k visitors, so just imagine if everyone who was discontent with the Canes this season put in just a few bucks. The numbers exist, and I know we can all spare it. I've put $250 of my own cash down and several others have also donated over $100. Let's get this done, let's get it done quickly so that we can get this thing up while the iron is still hot.

Will this make a difference?

Absolutely.

The BOT is used to being nicely insulated from all the fan displeasure. Time to give them their first real taste of it, and you can bet they won't like it.

Go Canes!
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Why not buy digital ad space on Google or various Social Media platforms? That would have a bigger reach than a billboard.
 
305_separatist said:
Manny isn’t leaving now for financial reasons a billboard will not change. Should he fail this hard a second year he’s gone anyway, ESPECIALLY with a new AD in place. It’s pointless to include him.

Blake on the other hand is very vulnerable after so many years, the manny hiring fiasco, the golden suit, the performance of other sports etc. He needs to be the sole focus since that’s where we’re going to get the most bang for the buck.
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Good luck.
 
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