Three Easy Fan-Friendly Initiatives for SU

[DeepThrowIt]

Here are three (EASY!!!!) ways for SU to win back some fans:

1. Hire sports marketing experts similar to what PSU had: http://blog.pennlive.com/bobflounders/2012/02/goodbye_guido_penn_state_sever.html
There have to be some Newhouse grads who are in the industry. Guido basically revamped Penn State's game day experience. If the game day experience (in addition to the actual game) is top of the line, people will come.

2. Overhaul the "Syracuse Sidelines" show like RU, and others have (bear with me here): With people like Roger Springfield (he is phenomenal) associated with the program, there is no reason for Syracuse Sidelines to be such a boring show. RU (among others) have leveraged their weekly television show into a recruiting tool. Just look at the link. They make RU's shitty campus look and sound great. SU can and should do the same. Syracuse Sidelines is shown on SNY every week. Lets make this an exciting show that will help the brand. It will also help the fans connect with the team which is very important.

3. Start a blog. This can be run in-house. Look at what USC does: http://www.usctrojans.com/blog/
USC uses this across all sports. Look at their football practice notes. They are awesome. SU has the #1 journalism school in the nation, there is no reason they can't do something like this. It will be run in-house so coaches/DG can control it.

I believe college sports is more about connecting the fans with the student-athletes than anything else. Remember these kids could have been your next door neighbor. If SU connects the players to the community and alumni more, even if it isn't in a physical capacity (i.e. going out into the community, etc..) people will feel more of a connection to the program. You need to basically recruit the fans just like you recruit players. ESPN All-Access last year was a good start.

 

[Rocco]

Agreed. These are all the SUAD's jobs, not Marrone's persay. Marrone would be a huge part of it, but it all starts with DG.

 

[DeepThrowIt]

Agreed. These are all the SUAD's jobs, not Marrone's persay. Marrone would be a huge part of it, but it all starts with DG.

Agreed. HCDM needs someone on his staff to be thinking about things like this. Pete Carroll had one of these guys. Many schools are beginning to hire people with the sole purpose of football branding. No reason Cuse shouldn't do the same. In fact, it will take a lot of the minute details HCDM doesn't want to be bothered with off his plate.

 

[Rocco]

Agreed. HCDM needs someone on his staff to be thinking about things like this. Pete Carroll had one of these guys. Many schools are beginning to hire people with the sole purpose of football branding. No reason Cuse shouldn't do the same. In fact, it will take a lot of the minute details HCDM doesn't want to be bothered with off his plate.

I agree DM would be a big part of it, as I stated, but don't these non-football staff (marketing) hires get approved by the AD?

Didn't we hire a big PR firm last year?

 

[DeepThrowIt]

I agree DM would be a big part of it, as I stated, but don't these non-football staff (marketing) hires get approved by the AD?

Didn't we hire a big PR firm last year?

I don't think the person needs to be non-football staff. They should be part of the football staff. It can be a hybrid position working with marketing/PR/football staffs. This position can help with recruiting as well. Just trying to think outside the box here, while focusing on two weaknesses right now within the program, Fan Support and Recruiting.

If SU has hired a PR firm in the last year, they must not be very good considering I have not seen any ROI. Have you?

 

[Rocco]

I don't think the person needs to be non-football staff. They should be part of the football staff. It can be a hybrid position working with marketing/PR/football staffs. This position can help with recruiting as well. Just trying to think outside the box here, while focusing on two weaknesses right now within the program, Fan Support and Recruiting.

If SU has hired a PR firm in the last year, they must not be very good considering I have not seen any ROI. Have you?

I thought Gross had a press release saying SU had hired a PR firm to sell more tickets or something to that tune.

 

[SU2NASA]

1. Hire sports marketing experts similar to what PSU had. Guido basically revamped Penn State's game day experience.

You sure you want that?

 

[SU2NASA]

4. Change the mascot.

 

[DeepThrowIt]

4. Change the mascot.

Mascots don't matter. Fans love Otto. That isn't the problem.

 

[rrlbees]

I don't think the person needs to be non-football staff. They should be part of the football staff. It can be a hybrid position working with marketing/PR/football staffs. This position can help with recruiting as well. Just trying to think outside the box here, while focusing on two weaknesses right now within the program, Fan Support and Recruiting

So you want the job?

Sent from my DROIDX

 

[cusestudent]

So you want the job?

Sent from my DROIDX

Bees, I think this would be one of those things to send to HCDM or at least attempt to contact DG with it.

 

[bnoro]

I don't think the person needs to be non-football staff. They should be part of the football staff. It can be a hybrid position working with marketing/PR/football staffs. This position can help with recruiting as well. Just trying to think outside the box here, while focusing on two weaknesses right now within the program, Fan Support and Recruiting.

If SU has hired a PR firm in the last year, they must not be very good considering I have not seen any ROI. Have you?

We hired IMG Sports, who does ticket marketing and selling. Not a program marketing brand. I would love to work in our athletic department in marketing.

 

[DeepThrowIt]

So you want the job?

Sent from my DROIDX

Would love it but something tells me they couldn't afford me

 

[SU2NASA]

Mascots don't matter. Fans love Otto. That isn't the problem.

A real Syracuse Orangemen fan knows who our true mascot is.

 

[Cadillac]

 

[CaliCuse]

Here are three (EASY!!!!) ways for SU to win back some fans:

1. Hire sports marketing experts similar to what PSU had: http://blog.pennlive.com/bobflounders/2012/02/goodbye_guido_penn_state_sever.html
There have to be some Newhouse grads who are in the industry. Guido basically revamped Penn State's game day experience. If the game day experience (in addition to the actual game) is top of the line, people will come.

2. Overhaul the "Syracuse Sidelines" show like RU, and others have (bear with me here): With people like Roger Springfield (he is phenomenal) associated with the program, there is no reason for Syracuse Sidelines to be such a boring show. RU (among others) have leveraged their weekly television show into a recruiting tool. Just look at the link. They make RU's shitty campus look and sound great. SU can and should do the same. Syracuse Sidelines is shown on SNY every week. Lets make this an exciting show that will help the brand. It will also help the fans connect with the team which is very important.

3. Start a blog. This can be run in-house. Look at what USC does: http://www.usctrojans.com/blog/
USC uses this across all sports. Look at their football practice notes. They are awesome. SU has the #1 journalism school in the nation, there is no reason they can't do something like this. It will be run in-house so coaches/DG can control it.

I believe college sports is more about connecting the fans with the student-athletes than anything else. Remember these kids could have been your next door neighbor. If SU connects the players to the community and alumni more, even if it isn't in a physical capacity (i.e. going out into the community, etc..) people will feel more of a connection to the program. You need to basically recruit the fans just like you recruit players. ESPN All-Access last year was a good start.

All quality ideas but getting the Administrators to admit that there are people out there far brighter than anyone they have running the show . ADs hiring wives is beyond stupid and not productive. Those ideas ae good and they need to be deployed along with making the game day a big time family experience They have the Quad to give them space Now just be a bit imagnative and create something for the family to celebrate with.

 

[Scooch]

A TV show that no one watches, and a blog that no one reads.

Yep, problems solved!

Oh Lord

 

[DeepThrowIt]

A TV show that no one watches, and a blog that no one reads.

Yep, problems solved!

Oh Lord

Scooch, the thread on Marrone alienating fans had 3400 hits today. And that was silly Internet banter. Think about content that fans and alumni would really enjoy. All-access with players, behind the scenes video/photos, etc...

The content is endless. Recruits would respond to this as well.

 

[Scooch]

Scooch, the thread on Marrone alienating fans had 3400 hits today. And that was silly Internet banter. Think about content that fans and alumni would really enjoy. All-access with players, behind the scenes video/photos, etc...

The content is endless. Recruits would respond to this as well.

Meh. We're diehards, we're freakin' strange birds, man.

The only way to engage SU fans is to win, and win a lot. Everything else is window dressing.

 

[rrlbees]

Meh. We're diehards, we're freakin' strange birds, man.

The only way to engage SU fans is to win, and win a lot. Everything else is window dressing.

Winning and fans go hand in hand. You can't have one without the other. Doesn't a loud Dome help the team? I like those 3 ideas and think it is closed minded to just say blah. It's the attitude SU has and one of the reasons we can't get the fan base excited. Nobody thinks outside the box. All these things other schools do, including many we used to do, are just too much work for us I guess. The easy answer for wanting to be lazy is to say just win. Even when we won, we couldn't sell the place out.

 

[Moontan]

While not a blog, they do spread the SU Athletics word on Facebook.

 

[OttoForLife]

Winning cures everything, as others have said here. However, I still think that there are some pretty simple solutions to help market the program. They have to make the game day experience/Dome environment more energetic, and IMO, that starts with the students.

 

[MCuse44]

Winning just creates short term, short sighted, bandwagon fans. Bees is right. Even with McNabb that place was not always sold out. Winning masks the problem.

It has to be a cultural thing. If you look at Penn State, Michigan...That's a big part of their life. Its bordline cultish. I'm not convinced this cannot happen at a Private University. It's just going to take more work, a little longer to build and requires a little out of the box creativity. We cannot operate like state schools and expect the same results.

The fact the we are starting to erode the hardcore fan base is alarming. I really though marrone did a good job those first few years. He just needs to keep at it. Its not an over night thing.

Winning cures everything, as others have said here. However, I still think that there are some pretty simple solutions to help market the program. They have to make the game day experience/Dome environment more energetic, and IMO, that starts with the students.

 

[CaliCuse]

M

A TV show that no one watches, and a blog that no one reads.

Yep, problems solved!

Oh Lord

Make the blog interactive with guest blogs and or responses. Then peoplw willread and watch. I agree with Bees that fans and winning go together.Some will debate the "chicken and the eggparadox forever but they must coexist. Which comes first shouldn't be the issue.couchburn

 

[DeepThrowIt]

Meh. We're diehards, we're freakin' strange birds, man.

The only way to engage SU fans is to win, and win a lot. Everything else is window dressing.

SU needs some window dressing right now. Need to generate some sort of excitement whether its genuine or manufactured.