Serious Concerns about FB Marketing(long)

My take on this subject.

Any advertising money in the AJC for the football games is like throwing money in the black hole of space. It will have absolutely no bearing on people attending sports at GT. It is only a bribe paid by GT to the AJC to give coverage to Tech in the AJC sports pages.

The two best methods to bring in fans and football recruits are:

1. produce a consistently winning team, and
2. spend every penny available for advertising by broadcasting (radio) the games around the Southeast in every nook and corner.

The suggestion to bring a friend to the games is an excellent one.

If the economy and market continues to be down, the attendance at all football games will be hurt this year.

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Originally posted by gnats 67:
Marketing is a pretty lousy enterprise anyway...I'll never forget that one about putting the spice back in...

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<font size="2" face="Arial, Verdana, Sans-Serif">Close. It was "Pepper's put the sting back in" or something like that. 1973.
 
Wow, whatta a thread this is!! Gee, and I had to actually work all day and just now read it.
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I've got to agree with many, many comments in this thread. The MARTA thing has always disturbed me. It proves that the GTAA has NO concept of what GT has to offer on a Saturday afternoon and why people go to games in the South. It isn't to ride mass transit with the kids I can assure you. maybe this proves the 3-hour parking letter was not just a freak thing. They really don't know.

Who are we trying to reach with this marketing anyway? True avid college football fans, right? Ones that have no affiliation with other nearby schools right? If you know Tech football, you are likely already there if interested. So, let's reach the non-affiliated folks. How do you do this? (not going after NFL fans, etc) You MUST change the recent perception (ACC years) and prove to these folks that GT is big time football. We know it, but if you are from Wisconsin you may not. Schedule, schedule schedule!!!!! Prior to joining the ACC we played national schools (USC, ND, etc) and local powers like UT, UF, Bama, Auburn, etc. We must play the big games in my opinion to build excitement for the program. All college fans love the build up for the big game during game week. You start talking about the game on Monday and go from there. GT needs the Auburns, UTs, NDs, etc on the schedule every year!! With Duke & Wake and a 12 game schedule, no reason we can't play UGa and two big OOC games each year. We've gotta change the perception and build interest. Playing UConn will NOT do this. Giving away bobbleheads will not either!!

Whew, just my quick thought on a Monday night
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Excellent thoughts guys! Re: Radio signal strength, The FCC determines how much power each station can broadcast with. It's not hard to increase your power, but it is basically impossible to get approval from the FCC. WSB 750 is just one of the lucky AM stations that gets to broadcast at full power 24 hours a day. Our only other option for night broadcasts would be an FM station and they want no part of GT football. Right now GT uses 102.3 and 107.1 to reach the north side of town. I'm afraid that is about the best solution we have at this time.

Re: Marketing Dollars: Marketing can be very effective if the dollars are spent wisely. You have to identify your tarket market, make contact with them, and then connect with them. I think we are doing 1 of 3 at best.
 
Couple things about radio, which I agree is the no. 1 way to publicize Tech sports.

1) Is 790 streaming on the internet? If so, if you have broadband, picking it up is cake. If not, let's put some pressure on them to do it.

2) WSB is FAR from the only place to hear Moanin Munson. UGAG is on every other station on the radio in NE Ga. It seems outlandish that we can't increase the size of our network if the AA just puts a little time in and makes this a goal.We don't have to rely on just 790.

3) A hobby horse of mine is satellite radio broadcasting. This requires special tuners, but if one of those services could be persuaded to carry GT sports, we could hear toe meet leather anywhere on earth.
 
These posts have ignored one very important fan base: the students. I'm a second year grad student, and judging by the sparse student attendance at last year's "big 3" sports it doesn't seem like the student body has bought into big time college athletics as a worthwhile diversion from studies. I noticed from the BDS seating charts that both endzones are now student seating. How embarassing would it be if we see more steel than bodies in those seats come football season? I agree that the GTAA needs more sizzle in their campaigns, but they also have to be creative to get students out of the libraries and into the bleachers.
 
Good point regarding students. I don't think there is much you can do to market to students. It's either the place to be or it isn't. Winning is about the only thing we can do. I also believe if we increase our season ticket base, the increased size of the gameday experience will draw more students to football games.

As far as basketball goes, if we are in contention for the ACC title, they will be camping out again.
 
One other point, Axe:

Our attendance has slowly but surely increased over the last decade or so, without an effective marketing program and without effective radio penetration around the state. That's a good thing. We've been able to slowly build up from 30K or so a game to 41-42K per game and our season ticket base is also increasing. Although I'm excited about the expansion, I'd be a little less than honest if I didn't admit that I'm nervous about filling it on a consistent basis.

Anyway, I like the trend over the last 10-15 years and I think that the expansion will allow us to make a "step" up rather than continuing on the "ramp". I think that we'll really see what kind of fan base we have (size-wise) when we play schools like UNC,MD,NCState and UVA. Those are mid-sized ACC schools that are good at football, but won't bring alot of fans. If we can get 50K or more for those games right off the bat, then I think that bodes well for the expansion in the long run.

Really, the bottom line is winning. If we continue to win, then our fan base will continue to grow. It may not fill up 55K right off the bat in '03 and '04, but it'll eventually get to that point by the end of the decade if we continue moving in the right direction ON the field.

BTW, one great marketing ploy: Play nothing but night games. Night games bring out the best in our fans, from an attendance and noise standpoint. I really believe if we became a pure night game school, we'd have a better chance to get more people on campus for tailgating and the great atmosphere surrounding our games.
 
Originally posted by bugboy:
BTW, one great marketing ploy: Play nothing but night games. Night games bring out the best in our fans, from an attendance and noise standpoint. I really believe if we became a pure night game school, we'd have a better chance to get more people on campus for tailgating and the great atmosphere surrounding our games.
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<font size="2" face="Arial, Verdana, Sans-Serif">You wouldn't get an arguement from me on this one. That would be a great selling point. But the ACC and TV Folks might have something to say here.
 
I think one thing that GTAA DOES now recognize is that night games are better.

That's why Vandy is scheduled for 6 PM. We seem to be scheduling most games at night when TV allows us to.

I have never been to Charlottesville, but several people have posted that the Virginia athletic dept REALLY knows how to get their fans involved in the game. They pipe in high-energy music, show great graphics, advertise their team in a big way.

If they can do it, why can't we? We live in a city of 4 million people. The market is there if the product is worth buying (we're winning adn the atmosphere is good) and if we sell the product well.
 
well i dont know much about advertising but i do know that the best advertisment for Tech football will be winning more games and more ACC titles. Also about the streaming from 790, most sports games or nascar you now have to pay for the programing. I live in Macon and it is rare to find a good signal to listen to the football games. You never find a basketball game on the radio. Since my job requires me to work most every weekend a good radio station would be a lifesaver for me plus it would save on my sick time.

All of the above said, The renovation on the stadium and the quality product that is being put on the field year after year will fill the stands. Cause I dont think most folks see an ad and then buy season tickets they mite buy single game tickets then enjoy the experience and then buy season tickets. That is how i would do it.

Here's hoping for a wonderful year full of wins for GT football.

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Guys someone on 'The Hill' is listening to what we say in this forum! I got an e-mail from Wes D. about an earlier posting of mine about radio coverage. If anyone wants to give him the benefit of their ideas the magic address is:

wdurham@at.gtaa.gatech.edu

THWG!!
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yerjacket,

I've listened to basketball games on ramblinwreck.com They have live audio for most games i think.
 
Originally posted by goldeagle:
Guys someone on 'The Hill' is listening to what we say in this forum! I got an e-mail from Wes D. about an earlier posting of mine about radio coverage.
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<font size="2" face="Arial, Verdana, Sans-Serif">What did Wes have to say? Curious minds want to know.
 
I too believe that the GTAA could do more, but let's brainstorm what they can do.

1. Put Chan on 790, 680, and FM stations ALL OVER THE STATE with radio spots for something like this, "Hi, this is Georgia Tech football coach, Chan Gailey. I'm on the radio asking you to excuse the mess we've made on campus over the last year. You see, we're growing. We're expanding our stadium, and adding more tailgating space on our campus. We're excited about the future of Georgia Tech football. To be a part of the Georgia Tech football experience, call 888-TECH-TIX."

2. Make similar commercials for airing on cable companies ALL OVER THE STATE OF GEORGIA.

3. Sign the appareal deal with Nike. Nike is out of control; they are the best. Nike stuff is in every mall and every store from Valdosta to Toccoa from Columbus to Savannah. Nike is everywhere, and it increases our visibility hence making Georgia Tech "cooler".

4. Finally, winning is the best marketing plan. If Chan can put together some great seasons with some ACC titles mixed in, folks will come watch this team play.

Georgia Tech is unlike any program and school in this area. The reality is that we are a small, specialty school that many people in Georgia don't identify with. However, the experience of Bobby Dodd Stadium on Saturday is something else. I've never been to another stadium where the atmosphere is like what we have. I hope that the marketing department is reading these. As we have something special brewing on the Flats, and it's time to let everyone know.

C'mon August 31...I can't wait!!!!!!!!!
 
Totally agree with # 1. Also love Axe's idea of using Wes Durham's radio calls with the GT fight song playing in the background.

Something, anything would be better than another year of "It's Stingtime!" billboards....
 
Ideas off the top of my head:

1. CD-ROM or DVD mailers to previous season ticket holders, alumni, etc. I'd imagine right now those folks get a letter. How about getting a letter and CD-ROM with exciting highlights of GT football and gameday events.

2. Interactive web page for ticket holders and potential ticket holders. Right now if someone is thinking about getting GT tickets, they can't even view any information about it, let alone order them on-line. They have to print out a PDF file to MAIL in. We should have a special page(s) for promoting GT events. The GTAA can purchase the rights to keywords like "Georgia Tech Football, tickets, etc." on Yahoo, Google, MSN, etc. for around .05 per click through or less. Any time someone uses GT football or related search term our special web link will be 1st on the page. They can then visit this new web page, which will attempt to sell them on everything we have to offer.

Just a few random thoughts.
 
Originally posted by Indian Buzz:
Finally, winning is the best marketing plan. If Chan can put together some great seasons with some ACC titles mixed in, folks will come watch this team play.

Georgia Tech is unlike any program and school in this area. The reality is that we are a small, specialty school that many people in Georgia don't identify with. However, the experience of Bobby Dodd Stadium on Saturday is something else. I've never been to another stadium where the atmosphere is like what we have. I hope that the marketing department is reading these. As we have something special brewing on the Flats, and it's time to let everyone know.
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<font size="2" face="Arial, Verdana, Sans-Serif">Yes, winning ACC titles is an easy way to sell tickets. that's a no brainer. But what happens when we got 7 - 5 in a stadium with alot more seats than we have currently? We have trouble selling out games right now with certain conference opponents in our smallish stadium.

Simply put, we need to develop/expand the season ticket base. We have done well in this department over the last few successful years with 5 straight bowl appearances and 3IAR,B vs. UGA. But we still need to do a better job here and it all begins with our marketing efforts. We need to market better to the casual football fan in the city of Atlanta. We need to emphasis the entire game day experience at BDS. Push our historic stadium and exciting brand of football.

IMHO, bobbleheads are cheap gimmics. Maybe that would work to fill a 55,000 seat stadium against Duke or Wake in a non-homecoming game. But I doubt that some guy is sitting at home saying I want to go to GT game "X" with his buddies opr family because he has a Marta pass in his pocket or a Bobblehead doll on his mantle.

The bottom line is that we need to do more to get folks excited about GT football in downtown Atlanta lest we are going to have a lot of Auburn, FSU, Clemson, and UGAg folks at BDS in the future.
 
Cold Beer; WD didn't recall our conversation which was at a Macon GT club function last year. At that time I queried him about poor radio coverage and he indicated that the deal w/790 as flagship had been done to help solve the problem; also that many stations had conflicting agreements with Braves/UGA and/or wanted sizable fees to carry GT football. At that time A Tech grad was EVP of U.S. Broadcasting which owned maybe eight Macon area stations. In my e-reply to WD I told him I was gratified that someone in the AA was looking at what alums were saying; also suggested taskforce of alums and fans, preferably with a mix of more shallow pockets than deep ones, to work on the matter. My personal feeling is that Tech fans and alumni may be fewer in numbers but make up for that in socio/economic/political clout in the state and need to be organized to make it felt. Fear the Jackets !!!
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