Branding their Univ. all the time

[SATownEagle]

This may go unnoticed to many, but Bama does the small things to grow its brand and gain more band-wagon fans deep in their back yard. In the Hattiesburg American yesterday, "The show came to them when the University of Alabama's Million Dollar Band rehearsed for more than three hours at Oak Grove High's stadium. Following the rehearsal, which ended about 3:30 p.m., the band continued on to New Orleans".

Something a small and simple as this will further grow their base in our backyard and pull potential students and supports because they made it easy to be seen. Granted the bowl game gives them this opportunity to this exposure, it little things like this USM needs to engage in to further expose USM to other areas of our footprint and grow our brand.

http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/story/news/local/2014/12/30/alabama-band-practices-oghs/21079093/

 

[Wonder Boy Eagle]

You make a good point.

Southern Miss, to me, needs to do more things like this to build interest in high school students. I hate that so many high school seniors in and around Hattiesburg go to colleges other than USM.

It will only get worse because the friends of these kids will follow them out of Hattiesburg.

 

[Osceola1728]

The problem is, IMO, other than the fact that our football program has hit the shits, is that our marketing dept. has done a piss poor job for years marketing the school and our athletic programs. I cringe every time I see one of those cheesy promo commercials.

 

[angrybirds]

You can pick up a mobile press register every day and read an article on Alabama or auburn and our on paper only has an article during football season and we let them get away with this. I can also turn on the radio every day and hear get your degree from Alabama online. We have clueless people in charge of our university

 

[pigskin eagle]

Yes, our marketing and promotions have been bad for years. I hope I will be proven wrong but I'm afraid it will continue to be bad in the future. I'll never forget the last football game in 2007 when they were handing out 'Beat Arkansas' stickers to everyone going into the stadium. The problem was we were playing Arkansas State, not Arkansas. Then there was the year we made brochures with pictures of empty seats in the stadium with the words 'These could be your seats.' And in 2012 when we played Alabama in baseball in an afternoon 'Blackout' game and SMU in basketball a little later that day in a 'Whiteout' game. The most loyal fans were changing shirts in the parking lot between games but that could have been done a lot better. Some good news is we may be finally improving our spring football game experience. The last several years under Giannini were absolutely horrible. There were many times that we had the spring game when it wasn't a home baseball weekend. And in 2010 the spring football game and baseball game were scheduled too close together and much of the games were going on at the same time. Finally, one point USM really likes to market is that we are 1 of 34 universities that are accredited in all four areas of the arts. That's fine and all, but I really wish we would come up with something new.

 

[beagleeagle]

What? Our "It's Great to Rise to the Top Anytime" ads are awesome. (sarcasm)

 

[beagleeagle]

I loved when we put a picture of Georgia Tech's stadium's on our season ticket brochures. Another To the Top moment.