Make (your) promotions GREAT again!
Every day in our line of work, life presents you with an opportunity to be creative and do something to promote your program. Example: The other day here in DC we had our 20th something day of 90 degree heat and I was racking my brain to figure out how to capitalize on it. I felt this pressure on myself to live up to the popularity of our promotion this past winter (ESPN: Let it snow: Georgetown to drop prices after impending blizzard). But alas, with no sports in the summer and no active public ticket sales campaign, I let this opportunity sizzle away.
On other occasions, we have capitalized:
- A dysfunctional subway system in town? IDEA! Hoya Metro Madness. A promotion we used to build our email databases and reward riders of the system who have been enduring long and sometimes steamy commutes all summer. (Hoya Metro Madness)
- Saturday Night Live has its 50th Anniversary Special on TV? IDEA! We host an SNL Night at a basketball game where we find students who share the names of Hollywood Stars and invite them to participate in fun in-game promos all game long. Will Smith, Drake, Adele, and Luke Wilson all made appearances. (Adele, Drake and Luke Wilson will be at Saturday’s Georgetown game*)
- Left Shark goes viral during Katy Perry's Super Bowl Halftime Show. IDEA! Buy a cheap shark costume, tweet about how left shark's cousin will be at the Georgetown game, get a call from a local news station, and appear on TV that night.
- Photo of Leo DiCaprio on a beach with a Dad Bod sparks a national debate about if Dad Bod is a thing. IDEA! Dad Bod Day at Georgetown Men's Soccer, where we look to eliminate the dad bod with a pregame workout session, gave out a healthy dad cookbook, had a spare tire relay race, and of course, rewarded all dads who had flip and/or attachable phones with a special gift. (Georgetown soccer wants to help men get rid of the trendy 'Dad bod')
- A vile weed becomes a new food sensation. IDEA! Hail to Kale Night at Georgetown Women's Basketball. Give out free kale to the first 100 fans in attendance, throw in a couple kale theme in-game promotions and a few months later, First Lady Michelle Obama is mentioning your promotion in a speech. (If you like kale, you should love the Georgetown women’s basketball team)
- Basketball Student Section goes empty for games over winter break? IDEA! A Student for a Day Package where fans of all ages can buy discounted seats in the section, get a student section shirt, and are awarded with a 'Student for a Day' diploma from our mascot after the game. Oh yeah, and make sure they stand and yell during the entire game like our real students do. (Georgetown reveals unique experience to draw fans in absence of students)
What’s the point of all of this rambling? The point is that your next big idea is right around the corner. Challenge yourself, your staff, your student workers, and your colleagues to think out of the box. Look at current events and trending topics, both local and national, to see how you can parlay those into great publicity for your program. Every new day presents you with an opportunity to stand out and be creative.
In the words of the great business man Michael Scott: ‘You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.’
@Chris_Grosse
Assistant AD for Marketing
Georgetown University Athletics