Help out the Marketing Dept

[Zipsrifle]

I read Razor's blog today http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/zips/ and I have to say that I was completely underwhelmed by HY's responses. It does appear we are still "Buisness as Usual" for ICS which is NOT the mentality we can afford to have right now. So, I figure we are some rather creative people here, what would you do to help promote the Zips this year? I figure we need to start creating a buzz in the city and NE Ohio in general. TV ads aren't going to do it, so Here are some of my ideas:1) Team up with a local car dealership and give away a car to one fan at the first game, no raffle, just pull a name out of the hat. Give the car dealer free advertising all year on the big screen (inside and outside the stadium) and he gives away a Cadilliac or something. Promote the giveaway and have it during Homecoming to keep the momentum rolling!2) Team up with the Aeros, or the Indians (they suck and can't sell tickets) and have a deal where if you buy a ticket to one of the games, you get a ticket to the other for free. We split what little profit there is.3) Give the Cleveland TV stations an "Exclusive Tour" of the stadium before it is done. Have Jason Taylor or Dominik give them the tour. They will gobble it up and create a buzz. IMO, we have been VERY BAD in getting these guys involved in the construction of the stadium and we need to get these guys onboard pronto!4) Put HUGE banners at several points on campus so NO student can claim they didn't know about the Stadium. Hell, put a HUGE banner across Route 8 so everyone in Akron knows when the games are!I know I'm going to be going on my own marketing blitz to all of my friends and family as soon as single game tickets go on sale. We have got to make this thing a success and I'm not convinced the marketing dept has what it takes to get it done. Many have said it before, but this is the real deal this time, we've got to get anybody we can into ICS this year as we are at a turingpoint right now. Anybody else have any good ideas???

[lance99]

I am thinking of to ways:Have a "game and and concert series:. Meaning have a concert at ICS, but you have to go to the game first and prove that you were there.Second, back in the day, they had the Acme-Zip Game that at one point, drew large numbers to the Rubber Bowl, Mabye they could do something like that again

[Hilltopper]

I'm thinking they are planning a "Field of Dreams" marketing approach, build it and they will come.

[ZachTheZip]

Rasor's post today laid out the marketing plan specifically for students. It's the exact same thing they've been doing the past few years. Passive marketing like easily-overlooked banners in the student union and a few signs placed on the sidewalks around campus. What I want to see is the university playing up the fact that the students get in FOR FREE. I'm certain that at least 15,000 students at UA have no idea that this is the case. Play up the FREE aspect until it gets beat into their heads.

[Quickzips]

Rasor's post today laid out the marketing plan specifically for students. It's the exact same thing they've been doing the past few years. Passive marketing like easily-overlooked banners in the student union and a few signs placed on the sidewalks around campus. What I want to see is the university playing up the fact that the students get in FOR FREE. I'm certain that at least 15,000 students at UA have no idea that this is the case. Play up the FREE aspect until it gets beat into their heads.

You're spot on that most students don't even know about this. I've told other students about games and taken a few to games in past years that had no idea that all they had to do was flush their Zipcard and walk through the gate. I have to say, I'm absolutely underwhelmed by the marketing job they are doing with this stadium. I'm actually wondering if people in this community are even going to know about the thing when it is done. I guess the real question is, "if Akron builds a new stadium, and noone knows about it, is it really new?"

[Dr Z]

Hire an AD with a good plan. Problem solved.

[zen]

Rasor's post today laid out the marketing plan specifically for students. It's the exact same thing they've been doing the past few years. Passive marketing like easily-overlooked banners in the student union and a few signs placed on the sidewalks around campus. What I want to see is the university playing up the fact that the students get in FOR FREE. I'm certain that at least 15,000 students at UA have no idea that this is the case. Play up the FREE aspect until it gets beat into their heads.

You're spot on that most students don't even know about this. I've told other students about games and taken a few to games in past years that had no idea that all they had to do was flush their Zipcard and walk through the gate. I have to say, I'm absolutely underwhelmed by the marketing job they are doing with this stadium. I'm actually wondering if people in this community are even going to know about the thing when it is done. I guess the real question is, "if Akron builds a new stadium, and noone knows about it, is it really new?"

I can only dream how nice it would have been to have had this stadium when I was a student.My God.... how could you not go to a game on Saturday if you live on or near campus and all you got to do is zing out your zip card to get in????? I mean, even if you aren't a sports fan, what the hell else you going to be doing on a saturday afternoon? It's like a freaking gift!Now, off campus-commuter students, that's a different story...

[g-mann17]

If you really want to help out the marketing department...1. Get your friends to come to games2. Get your coworkers to come to games3. Give the ticket office a contact at your place of employment4. Talk up the stadium and how nice it is and will be

[Quickzips]

If you really want to help out the marketing department...1. Get your friends to come to gamesOften easier said than done.2. Get your coworkers to come to gamesAgain, easier said than done.3. Give the ticket office a contact at your place of employmentI think it is a bit of a stretch to assume that this administration would put out the phone call to that contact.4. Talk up the stadium and how nice it is and will beZips fans have been doing this already and it doesn't appear to be helping that much. It is time for the marketing department to step up their game.

[g-mann17]

If you really want to help out the marketing department...1. Get your friends to come to gamesOften easier said than done.2. Get your coworkers to come to gamesAgain, easier said than done.3. Give the ticket office a contact at your place of employmentI think it is a bit of a stretch to assume that this administration would put out the phone call to that contact.4. Talk up the stadium and how nice it is and will beZips fans have been doing this already and it doesn't appear to be helping that much. It is time for the marketing department to step up their game.

That sounds rather defeatist. Should we not hold ourselves to the same standard we hold the marketing department?It's just as important that the Alumni promote the school as it is 10 people in the marketing department.

[Quickzips]

You misunderstand my point. I in fact do partake in most of those activities. I've tried to get friends and co-workers to games whenever I can. I've talked up the new stadium and how nice it is going to be. The problem is there are only so many die hard Zips fans that can and will go out and do this. It's on the marketing department to step it up and do their job. Word of mouth (essentially what you are arguing) can only take you so far.

[MaxZIP]

I think most people within an organization get caught up in the big project because it dominates their reality but they don't realize that people with little invested in the project do not feel the same. The buzz is really prevalent on campus but we have seen little in the way of contacting local alumni and community members. What about mass mailings (postcards) sent to all households in the area or just alumni in the Northeast Ohio area. Basically, time is running out to start marketing. People are not sold on a brand or idea with one exposure. They must be repetitively exposed and contacted to take action. Hell, when do they even plan to put single game tickets on sale? The prices are not even listed yet. Football games like any other entertainment event are going to take place whether the stands are full or not. It would be a shame to save money on advertising just to give it away in ticket revenue. Spend the money people and get this done. They should also be able to get funding from student recruitment funds for this as well. Athletics shouldn’t be funding the entire program as this project has potential to impact the entire university in a very positive or negative way.

[zipnate]

I think most people within an organization get caught up in the big project because it dominates their reality but they don't realize that people with little invested in the project do not feel the same. The buzz is really prevalent on campus but we have seen little in the way of contacting local alumni and community members. What about mass mailings (postcards) sent to all households in the area or just alumni in the Northeast Ohio area. Basically, time is running out to start marketing. People are not sold on a brand or idea with one exposure. They must be repetitively exposed and contacted to take action. Hell, when do they even plan to put single game tickets on sale? The prices are not even listed yet. Football games like any other entertainment event are going to take place whether the stands are full or not. It would be a shame to save money on advertising just to give it away in ticket revenue. Spend the money people and get this done. They should also be able to get funding from student recruitment funds for this as well. Athletics shouldn’t be funding the entire program as this project has potential to impact the entire university in a very positive or negative way.

You can go with the Direct Mail but that is extremely expensive. One would definately have to pound it into the heads of people to get the point across. In marketing, they do have 3-hit theory which says you need to expose the consumer at least three times in order for it to stick. They need to have a gathering of some sort at the stadium. I know the stadium isn't done yet, but it would still attract some much needed attention.

[Zip N' Dots]

Should we not hold ourselves to the same standard we hold the marketing department.

Um, No, the marketing department gets paid to market athletics. They should be held at a much higher standard.

[MaxZIP]

I think most people within an organization get caught up in the big project because it dominates their reality but they don't realize that people with little invested in the project do not feel the same. The buzz is really prevalent on campus but we have seen little in the way of contacting local alumni and community members. What about mass mailings (postcards) sent to all households in the area or just alumni in the Northeast Ohio area. Basically, time is running out to start marketing. People are not sold on a brand or idea with one exposure. They must be repetitively exposed and contacted to take action. Hell, when do they even plan to put single game tickets on sale? The prices are not even listed yet. Football games like any other entertainment event are going to take place whether the stands are full or not. It would be a shame to save money on advertising just to give it away in ticket revenue. Spend the money people and get this done. They should also be able to get funding from student recruitment funds for this as well. Athletics shouldn’t be funding the entire program as this project has potential to impact the entire university in a very positive or negative way.

You can go with the Direct Mail but that is extremely expensive. One would definately have to pound it into the heads of people to get the point across. In marketing, they do have 3-hit theory which says you need to expose the consumer at least three times in order for it to stick. They need to have a gathering of some sort at the stadium. I know the stadium isn't done yet, but it would still attract some much needed attention.

they have had a few gatherings at the stadium. The people who go to those are probably already ticketholders. We would have noticed a huge jump each open house if people were going there and buying tickets as a result of what they have seen. A gathering might pull in 300-1,000 people. We need to sell about 90,000 single game tickets for the season. Basically, direct mail is expensive so just hit the alumni and buy some leads for local football fans.

[ZachTheZip]

Here's an idea: give away 5 season ticket packages of 4 tix each to 5 random GA fans in attendance. Every contest has to have a season ticket as part of the prize. You're essentially improving attendance for future games by doing that.

[g-mann17]

Should we not hold ourselves to the same standard we hold the marketing department.

Um, No, the marketing department gets paid to market athletics. They should be held at a much higher standard.

Um, yes they do get paid (and some are just grad assistants that get paid very little) and they have a very small budget to work with, so how "out of the box" can a small budgeted group of 10 actually be?My point was, if you as a fan, student, and alumnus aren't promoting the team and the experience then you're no better then the Ohio.com haters. You'll complain about the situation but you won't do anything to help."But it's not our responsibility G-Mann"I'm afraid that it is my friends.

[ZachTheZip]

When we promote something like UA athletics by word-of-mouth, we're trying to relate an experience that the person we're talking to hasn't had. It's much more difficult to convince them if we don't have something tangible to point to to show that others also follow the teams and that it really is a big thing. That's what marketing is for. I come off looking like some looney who's the only one in the world that cares about UA because I can't point an "outsider" to anything to back up my words. I can't show them a commercial with Zips highlights, I can't tell them to watch the news for team coverage. People are lazy, and if the proof won't come to them they won't believe it because they don't want to have to get up and go to a game or search for a website like this because that takes actual effort for something that they might not end up liking. It has to come to them, and that's where marketing comes in, and where they have failed. Passive marketing is inneffective in the face of apathy. It has to be "in your face". Once they see it, then they can decide whether or not they want the product. How can anyonce be expected to decide whether or not they want something that they haven't seen?If I am trying to get someone to come along with me to a game, it's easier if they have seen it on TV because it allows them to get partially excited before having to spend money to make an effort. Word-of-mouth becomes much easier when you have an effective advertising campaign backing you up.

[Captain Kangaroo]

Here's an idea: give away 5 season ticket packages of 4 tix each to 5 random GA fans in attendance. Every contest has to have a season ticket as part of the prize. You're essentially improving attendance for future games by doing that.

Giving away free tickets isn't Marketing, and it doesn't pay off a $61.5 million dollar stadium.

[Quickzips]

Should we not hold ourselves to the same standard we hold the marketing department.

Um, No, the marketing department gets paid to market athletics. They should be held at a much higher standard.

Um, yes they do get paid (and some are just grad assistants that get paid very little) and they have a very small budget to work with, so how "out of the box" can a small budgeted group of 10 actually be?My point was, if you as a fan, student, and alumnus aren't promoting the team and the experience then you're no better then the Ohio.com haters. You'll complain about the situation but you won't do anything to help."But it's not our responsibility G-Mann"I'm afraid that it is my friends.

I don't think there is one person who posts regularly on Zipsnation that doesn't try like hell to "promote the team and the experience." Quite frankly I find it insulting that you are implying that we don't. This thread is about the MARKETING DEPARTMENT and what THEY need to be doing to promote the stadium. Word of mouth advertising can only be so effective. The MARKETING DEPARTMENT has to step in and fill the void by coming up with creative ways to get people into the stadium and support the team.

[MaxZIP]

I don't think there is one person who posts regularly on Zipsnation that doesn't try like hell to "promote the team and the experience." Quite frankly I find it insulting that you are implying that we don't. This thread is about the MARKETING DEPARTMENT and what THEY need to be doing to promote the stadium. Word of mouth advertising can only be so effective. The MARKETING DEPARTMENT has to step in and fill the void by coming up with creative ways to get people into the stadium and support the team.

I agree! People tend to give me some strange looks when I talk about the zips. I believe just as much as the next zips nation member that there is a ton of potential here. I graduated less than 3 years ago so I know what the campus has to offer and where the momentum is taking this university. the vast majority of NE Ohioans have no idea what the University is doing. Their perceptions of this area are based on jokes and negativities leveled upon Akron in the past. We know it and now the Marketing department must let everybody know it or all of this progress will lose effectiveness.

[g-mann17]

I don't think there is one person who posts regularly on Zipsnation that doesn't try like hell to "promote the team and the experience." Quite frankly I find it insulting that you are implying that we don't. This thread is about the MARKETING DEPARTMENT and what THEY need to be doing to promote the stadium. Word of mouth advertising can only be so effective. The MARKETING DEPARTMENT has to step in and fill the void by coming up with creative ways to get people into the stadium and support the team.

I'm not trying to insult anyone. You obviously feel the way I do that it's important to promote the program and University. I was just trying to point out the necessity of doing so. If you feel frustrated with word of mouth advertising, and you see how difficult it is to get even one extra person to come with you to a game. How do you think it feels to have to get 8700 additional season ticket sales? (We traditionally have had between 1200 and 2000 season tickets). That was the main goal, they increased it by 100% to this point. I'm not trying to defend them either. It was barely publicized that there was an open house during the spring game. They have yet to have a well publicized open house for the general public. I have heard no plans of an opening celebration for the stadium (which it better have). The commercials in January were horrible, and I haven't seen any since February. I've seen a few below the fold ads in the sports page and maybe one full page ad. That was only for the Beacon, what about the Suburbanite, Westside Leader, Repository, Plain Dealer? Where is the cooperation with the Alumni association? I've gotten at least three request for money from the Department of Development (every alumni get's those) where is the piggy back insert about the new stadium and the low cost of season tickets?Where is the inter-department cooperation? What has the Department of Institutional Marketing done in regards to the stadium?All I was saying is everyone should be doing all they can.

[ksu sucks]

Where is the inter-department cooperation? What has the Department of Institutional Marketing done in regards to the stadium?

IMO, that's the big one. A project that has an effect so widespread across the entire university should involve a combined effort from all the separate departments.

[Class of 82]

All I was saying is everyone should be doing all they can.

I didn't find your post insulting, g-mann. I think you were dead on.Zips fans, as individuals, do indeed have it in their power to turn this whole thing around a lot more than any individuals in the UA's marketing department. And in the new stadium, you have been given the ideal tool. It WAS hard to get people to come down to the bowl. It will NOT be hard to get some friends to attend a game at the new stadium.What the marketing department needs to be doing is empowering Zips fans with even more tools and incentives to take a personal stake in marketing Zips athletics. What that might entail is limited only by NCAA rules and their own creativity, but the fans that they already have are the key to the fans that they want to have.My two cents.

[ksu sucks]

Unless Akron see's a top 25 season, not all of the games at the Info will be a sell out like the first few should be. That said, I hope the university uses the packed stadium and tailgaters for media purposes. That is, I hope the university take tons of pictures and even record some videos for future commercials or ads. Nothing sells potential students more than shots of our beautiful campus and the awesome new stadium filled with rabid fans.Unlike some other schools in Ohio, Akron can't rely on it's reputation to get by. We all realize that, but apparently the University doesn't. I'm not from around Akron, and I originally didn't want to visit. After visiting, the only thing I could think was, how in the hell didn't I know about this? Marketing. Not just for athletics, but for the university as a whole. After all, that's what this stadium is.