Student Issue, 2012—Big Orange. Big Ideas.

In 2012 students took to the Daily Beacon to express discontent with the new “tag” slogan Big Orange. Big Ideas., with the concept of “branding” itself, and with the expenditure of funds for development of the branding materials. Its detractors saw the tagline as emphasizing athletics and as being “cheesy.” Faculty member Arthur Echternacht suggested that the tagline would more properly be Big Orange. Big Ideas. Big Results., in the wake of big ideas that led to the hiring of Wade Gilley, John Shumaker, John Petersen, and Lane Kiffin, which he lumped together with the “big ideas” for the Spruce Goose, Edsel, and New Coke. Daily Beacon staff writer David Cobb pointed out that Lipman Hearne, the consulting firm used, counted among its clients Harvard, Cornell, Brown, Northwestern, Ohio State, and North Carolina. Cobb voiced a strong preference for Big Orange. Big Ideas. over the University of Memphis’s Dreamers. Thinkers. Doers. or the University of Virginia’s Knowledge is Power taglines.

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  • Title Student Issue, 2012—Big Orange. Big Ideas.
  • Author
  • Keywords Student Issue, 2012—Big Orange. Big Ideas.
  • Website Name Volopedia
  • Publisher University of Tennessee Libraries
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  • Access Date September 3, 2025
  • Original Published Date
  • Date of Last Update October 17, 2018