1. Making a championship poster Local ad agency creates signs for ND
South Bend Tribune - South Bend, Ind.
Author: THERESA SAN LUIS
Date: Mar 30, 2001
Start Page: 1
Section: Business
Text Word Count: 839
Document Text
SOUTH BEND -- Thousands of hand-held posters with catchy slogans - - "Here Come
the Irish," "A New Era Begins," and "The March is On" -- are displayed each year by
Notre Dame football fans.
But for the first time this year, hand-held posters were developed for fans attending
Notre Dame basketball games.
The "Voice of the Joyce" signs were produced by Adworks, an advertising agency
operated mostly by marketing and design students from the University of Notre Dame
and Saint Mary's College.
Adworks, which is overseen by staff adviser Mary Edgington, has been making novelty
items as well as designing and distributing posters for events since 1985. The purpose
is to give students real world business experience.
In 1993, what has become known on campus as "The Sign" was developed by Adworks
for what was dubbed "The Game of the Century" when No. 2 Notre Dame took on No. 1
Florida State University.
Three students, Patrick Lyons, Brian DiLuara, and Pat May developed the concept of
"The Sign."
"The purpose of the first sign wasn't to make money at all. So we didn't know if it would
work. We wanted to build some campus spirit and encourage the team," said Joseph
Nocera, a former Adworks staffer and now a board member. "There wasn't a lot of
planning on how to make it a business success."
It took the students a couple of weeks to design and produce the 11-by-17 inch poster
that said, "Go Irish." The Student Government, Student Union Board and the Alumni
Association were the original sponsors for the 3,000 signs that were printed by Apollo
Printing & Graphics in South Bend.
The posters were distributed to students for the game in which Notre Dame upset
Florida state by a 31-24 margin.
The football team was voted No. 1 in the country, and a new cheering tradition was
born. Adworks produced a new sign the following week titled, "Here Come the Irish."

2. "People thought it was a great idea and loved it," says Nocera. "It was wonderfully
received."
There was suddenly a great demand for the free posters. Production skyrocketed and
sponsors were ready to support it. Today, about 30,000 signs are distributed, 10 times
the number printed for the Notre Dame-FSU game in 1993.
"This was originally planned to be a one-time thing," says Nocera. "I can't believe it has
lasted as long as it has. I get a kick whenever I watch a game on TV and they show
some student holding the most recent sign."Adworks comes up with a new logo every
year. In 1994, it created "We are ND," in 1995 "Onward to Victory," 1996 "Wake Up the
Echoes," 1997 "A New Era Begins," 1998 "We are ND", 1999 "Shake Down the
Thunder," and for last fall's football season, "The March Is On."
The signs are distributed every year on Saturday mornings before home football games
outside the stadium, at LaFortune Student Center, the Pep Rallies, at the Eck Center,
and by dorm presidents to students in the fall.
Not surprisingly many people collect these catchy signs as memorabilia.
"Every year a guy calls our office asking for 50 of the season's signs... so he can give
them to his cousins and relatives," said Andrew Fitzgerald, Adworks president.
Businesses pay from $400 to $1,300 to advertise on the back of the signs. Besides
enhancing campus spirit, Adworks has earned a net profit from the signs of $2,785.91
this year. All profits are put back into the business.
"This is the one project that financially stabilizes their year," says Gary Caruso, Adworks
board member. "They begin their year with this source of income, and that enables
them to pick up the smaller projects."
"Sponsors certainly get the exposure and are happy," said Chuck Lennon, director of
the Alumni Association, which is one of Adworks clients. "They feel good. That's why we
get repeat sponsors."
For the first time this season "The Sign" has marched its way to basketball games at the
Joyce Center. Three versions of "The Voice of the Joyce" signs were printed and
handed out at the home games. The signs were inspired by women's game that
resulted in the upset of No. 1 ranked Connecticut at the Joyce Center Jan. 15.
This weekend "The Voice of the Joyce" will be heard at the NCAA Tournament as well.
One thousand signs have been shipped to St. Louis to be handed outside the Savvis
Center before tonight's game. Watch for them on television they may mark the
beginning of a new era, a championship one.