Again in 1890, the Boston Athletic Affiliation selected the legendary unicorn to be its image. Later named Spike, that unicorn noticed a number of redesigns within the ensuing century, earlier than finally discovering its strategy to outstanding placement on the Boston Marathon medal. For years, Spike confronted leftward, its horn jutting into the banner kind of Boston Athletic Affiliation (B.A.A.). Then in early June, Spike modified course.
The B.A.A. unveiled a brand new emblem for the Boston Marathon, and individuals are not glad about it.
On its face, the redesign is small: Spike’s orientation is flipped, and he’s made a bit extra menacing. The marathon emblem, together with the brand new Spike, sports activities a recent Financial institution of America sponsorship tag. Regardless of the small tweaks, the neighborhood response has been staggering: a latest Boston.com reader poll discovered 55% not liking the brand new emblem, in comparison with simply 14% loving it and 32% expressing indifference.
Why the backlash? The B.A.A. proves simply how laborious it’s to remain recent (and funded) whereas sustaining a sprawling, legacy-minded viewers. Change, for some proud marathoners, is tough.
Small modifications, massive reactions
The obvious change in Spike’s design is his orientation. The place the unicorn mascot used to look left, now he seems proper. The B.A.A. calls this trying “ahead,” pointing in direction of the miles forward.
“We’re trying ahead, trying in direction of the way forward for the Boston Marathon, trying in direction of the way forward for operating generally,” says Scott Stover, chief advertising and marketing officer at B.A.A. “Turning Spike round appeared pure as we had been coming into this subsequent period.”
Extra controversial is Spike’s “athletic jawline,” which curves into the chin the place it beforehand ran clean. It creates the transient phantasm of muscular tissues—which the B.A.A. says represents the “athletic and gritty nature of Boston.” Coupled with a extra “decided eye,” the unicorn may be a fiercer model of his former self. Alex Cyr, a sports activities journalist overlaying marathons, finds this alteration laughable.
“The unicorn seems prefer it went from Pony[ta] to Rapidash,” Cyr says, referencing the Pokemon evolution. “You simply see a unicorn that’s gotten loads meaner.”
Stover contests the declare that Spike has gotten meaner, as a substitute noting that they instituted these design modifications to make Spike “severe and intentional.”
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The query of company branding
Alongside the redesigned Spike, the brand new Boston Marathon emblem additionally encompasses a stamp of company advertising and marketing: the large “Financial institution of America” subtext, in addition to the financial institution’s emblem. Whereas the fiercer look has some runners confused, the company branding has incited extra anger.
Simply have a look at the Instagram feedback beneath the announcement: “The large distinction is including Financial institution of America to the brand which clearly nobody likes,” feedback one marathoner. “Makes me much less prone to financial institution with BoA,” feedback one other. Clearly, there’s some ire for this emblazoned company sponsorship.
“Financial institution of America is invested in serving to us proceed to make the Boston Marathon and all of our occasions larger and larger yearly,” Stover says. “So we’re pleased with that partnership, and it’s also very commonplace in sports activities advertising and marketing for manufacturers to be included.”
This isn’t the primary time the B.A.A. discovered themselves in sizzling water for the Financial institution of America branding. Again in April, the Boston Marathon debuted a brand new medal, that includes the financial institution’s emblem on each medallion. The criticism was immediate.
Cyr was in Boston for the brand new medal’s premiere, and notes that there have been “a couple of complaints.” He chalks this as much as the race’s legacy: “[When] a race that’s been round for a very long time, comes out with a rebrand, it’s met with a little bit of resistance by the traditionalists.”
The problem that comes with rebranding an establishment as beloved because the Boston Marathon is. balancing delight with progress. Marathoners complain of Spike’s fiercer look not due to any obvious flaw, however as a result of they’ll have outdated tattoos. They complain of the Financial institution of America-themed emblem not as a result of they need to run the B.A.A. dry, however as a result of they need to hold it pure. Ultimately, the redesigned emblem will change into a chunk of the Boston Marathon’s legacy; till then, the B.A.A. might need to endure some indignant feedback.