Well last Friday, the news was let out of the bag and earlier today my first post for the PR Breakfast Club went live. Here is the intro to my take on the NFL vs. New Orleans about Who Dat:
As a sports fan, you always want to see your team make it to the championship. Just getting to the game is good for community morale as well as local businesses. For fans of the New Orleans Saints, some of this goodwill and joy has lost its luster the NFL and some members of Louisiana are locked in an ugly PR battle over two words – Who Dat. For those of you that are unfamiliar with the phrase, it has been the rallying cry of the Saints and their fans and was prominently displayed in the Super Dome following their NFC championship win.
Yes, there are other two-word phrases that are much worse, so why the focus on them? One word answer – trademark – read merchandising. With the Who Dat craze swirling around the state, local shop owners have been hawking shirts with the phrase on it. That was until the NFL sent out cease and desist letters citing a 1988 trademark registered by the Saints. Well those letters have been met with angst from these shop owners and Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal who is looking into pushing a lawsuit against the NFL over the ownership of the phrase.
Click here to read the post in its entirety.