Marketing department email?

[Carl Spackler]

... and both websites are through CBS Interactive - different feel though.

I have no idea what CBS interactive is, and what the significance of the websites both going through it is. Can you explain?

 

[sdhusky]

Right. We don't see the data. But it feels wrong. It feels like they aren't doing enough.

Ok. Good.

Would you go to a DR. who says "I feel lke there is something wrong. Let's do surgery" or would you prefer one who runs tests and actually knows?

Or a nuke engineer who says "I feel this is enogh plutonium" or one who does the math?

This is like people reading the boneyard and thinking they can game plan Cincy based on the Cincy/RU game thread. There is a reason coaches watch the film and pretty much ignore game threads.

 

[sdhusky]

They aren't doing enough. All I can look for is progress. Right now, based on this single thing, I want to see the ticket buying window online for UConn football changed and made easier to access.

www.uconngameday.com. It's an open domain. If some marketing genius in Storrs is reading this right now.

There is aboutt 5400 creative UCONN names available.

CarlSpacklerIsGenius.com is also available. Buy it.

 

[huskymedic]

I have no idea what CBS interactive is, and what the significance of the websites both going through it is. Can you explain?

http://collegenetwork.cbssports.com/

"CBSSports.com College Network, a CBS Interactive company, helps collegiate athletic departments protect and build their brand by deepening and expanding their fan base. We deliver best-in-class products and services that increase fan engagement and generate incremental revenue. Our suite of digital product offerings and high-profile distribution partnerships allow your fans to consume your content whenever and wherever they want to.
As a member of the CBS family, CBSSports.com College Network receives and provides its partners with significant national promotional exposure and integration across CBS media assets."

My thought (and this is clearly outside my area of expertise) is that the CBS Interactive Company has a number of developed templates for engaged schools to customize and the resultant analytics to tell decision makers which one is most efficient/effective. WM should send HFD to sit with the web designers to develop 2 or 3 new launches

 

[Husky25]

What is the ROI of those channels and how do they compare to other channels?

I don't know, so I'm not going to be an A##hole and pretend I do.

Maybe HDF is better than steve jobs. or maybe not.

I just can't judge.

And trying to judge based on boneyard posting is beyond stupid.

Advertising on sports TV and Radio channels (SNY, NESN, YES Network, NBC, CBS and Fox sports channels, reaches at least a general population of your target audience...Sports fans. Advertising during sporting events reasonably ensures that the audience is watching live and won't fast forward through commercials (not saying it can't be done), as it is difficult to record a game and avoid updates. Blanket advertising is indeed an inexact science, but "Hour long" tv shows are only 48 minutes of actual air time. "1/2 hour shows" are only 22 minutes. Gov. Roland works only 4 minutes out of every ten. There has to be a reason why stations reduce production like that and companies pay so much for ad time. It has to work to some degree, regardless of budget, doesn't it?

 

[Carl Spackler]

Right. But I find it funny that their fans ended up with something pretty similar to ours, and ours was panned as foolish by HFD and others because fans will hate it.

Can't please everybody. Just got to have a plan and stick to it. and hopefully a plan that works.

I actually like the way this existing link looks:

http://www.uconnhuskies.com/gameday/


(other than that the background looks like Yankee Stadium and not Rentschler, and that it's the 2012 season and the logo's aren't right) :-(

But other than that - I like the presentation of that link, and really, anything with some pizzazz is going to be a little better at enticing somebody to buy a ticket - or at least enter an email address to browse further........ than the appearance of our ticket buying webpage.

anyhoo - our athletic department has been able to ride the coattails of a great deal of winning for a long time. Never is it more clear, when you're not winning, or in the case of the men's b-ball program, you didn't get to play at all.

 

[J187Money]

Ok. Good.

Would you go to a DR. who says "I feel lke there is something wrong. Let's do surgery" or would you prefer one who runs tests and actually knows?

Or a nuke engineer who says "I feel this is enogh plutonium" or one who does the math?

This is like people reading the boneyard and thinking they can game plan Cincy based on the Cincy/RU game thread. There is a reason coaches watch the film and pretty much ignore game threads.

My point: I work with direct marketing. I know all about running tests, ROI, etc. Of course that's how you do it. But it seems to me based on a LOT of things I've seen from the school that this isn't happening. If it is, and they have decided there is no positive ROI advertising that can be done to support the team. Meaning that we have a *&%* product and we are doomed, or they aren't doing it right. Said another way - I know how to do the math, and it doesn't appear to me that anyone up there is doing it.

I had another conversation over their web properties with a couple of the Foundation folks, and I asked them if they studied clicks / dropoffs / user actions / heat maps on the donation pages. Then I asked why SCSU takes recurring donations on their site and UCONN doesn't. SIMPLE stuff. They looked at me like I was Einstein (which I'm not) or Al Gore (like I invented the internet - which I didn't). I'm a middle aged finance guy that started working in a tech B2C company 20 months ago and it is glaringly obvious to me that they don't know what they are doing up there on many levels.

So if I say it "feels" wrong...I'm not completely making *^%@ up.

 

[Carl Spackler]

My point: I work with direct marketing. I know all about running tests, ROI, etc. Of course that's how you do it. But it seems to me based on a LOT of things I've seen from the school that this isn't happening. If it is, and they have decided there is no positive ROI advertising that can be done to support the team. Meaning that we have a &% product and we are doomed, or they aren't doing it right. Said another way - I know how to do the math, and it doesn't appear to me that anyone up there is doing it.

I had another conversation over their web properties with a couple of the Foundation folks, and I asked them if they studied clicks / dropoffs / user actions / heat maps on the donation pages. Then I asked why SCSU takes recurring donations on their site and UCONN doesn't. SIMPLE stuff. They looked at me like I was Einstein (which I'm not) or Al Gore (like I invented the internet - which I didn't). I'm a middle aged finance guy that started working in a tech B2C company 20 months ago and it is glaringly obvious to me that they don't know what they are doing up there on many levels.

So if I say it "feels" wrong...I'm not completely making ^%@ up.

I'll save my experiences, but I get a real chuckle out of your comments, because I've been in contact with people in Storrs before, and also had the exact same feeling....kind of like being looked at like I've got three heads.

WHen you've got an athletic department that is managed by the university governing structure, that can allow an Athletic Director to be in position for 8 years that is wholly unqualified to be managing a BCS level football 1A athletic department, it goes to follow, that there is good chance that there are great deal of people in positions in such department that are wholly unqualified for their jobs, and probably got their jobs more by who they know, rather than what they know.

It's only been 15 months that we've had an Athletic Director that has the basic prerequisites to run a BCS level 1A department. And it's only been slightly longer that we've had a president in place that's willing to create significant change based on high expectations.

I've seen improvement in the way things are done, in that time. But it's got to continue and get faster, and better.

 

[Carl Spackler]

My point: I work with direct marketing. I know all about running tests, ROI, etc. Of course that's how you do it. But it seems to me based on a LOT of things I've seen from the school that this isn't happening. If it is, and they have decided there is no positive ROI advertising that can be done to support the team. Meaning that we have a &% product and we are doomed, or they aren't doing it right. Said another way - I know how to do the math, and it doesn't appear to me that anyone up there is doing it.

I had another conversation over their web properties with a couple of the Foundation folks, and I asked them if they studied clicks / dropoffs / user actions / heat maps on the donation pages. Then I asked why SCSU takes recurring donations on their site and UCONN doesn't. SIMPLE stuff. They looked at me like I was Einstein (which I'm not) or Al Gore (like I invented the internet - which I didn't). I'm a middle aged finance guy that started working in a tech B2C company 20 months ago and it is glaringly obvious to me that they don't know what they are doing up there on many levels.

So if I say it "feels" wrong...I'm not completely making ^%@ up.

FWIW: The way the online systems work with donations and such has also improved dramatically in the last year or two. It's still got a long way to go though. The only real fear I have about all this stuff, is the "we've got it now, it's good enough" syndrome. Just because we have the ability to do things now (regardless of whether or not it should have been done long ago or not), does not make things ok. It's got to continue to be pushed to get better.

For that - we need to find ways to hold people accountable.

 

[J187Money]

FWIW: The way the online systems work with donations and such has also improved dramatically in the last year or two. It's still got a long way to go though. The only real fear I have about all this stuff, is the "we've got it now, it's good enough" syndrome. Just because we have the ability to do things now (regardless of whether or not it should have been done long ago or not), does not make things ok. It's got to continue to be pushed to get better.

For that - we need to find ways to hold people accountable.

Exactly. I'd take that job and ask for a cut of increased donations. I'd make a mint. Public sector incentives for employees (longevity, security, benefits) don't lend themselves to success in the same way the private sector handles these things. And for a LARGE portion of the education process, this is appropriate. But not when it comes to marketing / fundraising / etc. They need to be run like businesses and the people who run them need to be held accountable like private sector employees are.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Exactly. I'd take that job and ask for a cut of increased donations. I'd make a mint. Public sector incentives for employees (longevity, security, benefits) don't lend themselves to success in the same way the private sector handles these things. And for a LARGE portion of the education process, this is appropriate. But not when it comes to marketing / fundraising / etc. They need to be run like businesses and the people who run them need to be held accountable like private sector employees are.

Amen brother

These are the kinds of things that well..... say - a person like Susan Herbst - needs to hear while sitting in a VIP box at a football game........

 

[sdhusky]

There has to be a reason why stations reduce production like that and companies pay so much for ad time. It has to work to some degree, regardless of budget, doesn't it?

Absolutely. Definately works.

The question is: Does it work better than that money spent else where? Is it better to do it evenly from now until Sept or do more in August, figuring the hardcore are buying now and the impulse buyers are closer to season start.

I don't know, but it is possible to track this and know.

 

[sdhusky]

Right. But I find it funny that their fans ended up with something pretty similar to ours, and ours was panned as foolish by HFD and others because fans will hate it.

The second fastest way to waste money in marketing is to do something just because someone else is doing it.

 

[J187Money]

Amen brother

These are the kinds of things that well..... say - a person like Susan Herbst - needs to hear while sitting in a VIP box at a football game........

I suppose that means I have to lay off of the funnel before the MD game.

 

[J187Money]

The second fastest way to waste money in marketing is to do something just because someone else is doing it.

I think you missed my point on this one.

 

[Carl Spackler]

The second fastest way to waste money in marketing is to do something just because someone else is doing it.

Really now.

Coke - Pepsi. McDonalds-Burger King.............they got it all wrong.

 

[Husky25]

Absolutely. Definately works.

The question is: Does it work better than that money spent else where? Is it better to do it evenly from now until Sept or do more in August, figuring the hardcore are buying now and the impulse buyers are closer to season start.

I don't know, but it is possible to track this and know.

Most marketing agencies have this data. Whether UConn's agency is among them is a different question altogether. I don't have it and I'm fairly certain most here don't either, but no idea is a bad idea, regardless of source. And since the members of the Boneyard don't have any other power, our contribution is pretty much limited to throwing out ideas (as bad as they may be...because you know we don't get it).

 

[hthusky74]

My point was the fan engagement and public voting process

Kind of like what the AD and MD did when deciding to pick a new mascot. Ha, ha, ha .....

 

[hthusky74]

My point was the fan engagement and public voting process

Like we used to pick a new mascot. Ha, ha, ha....

 

[hthusky74]

I am not anti-all things UConn as some here and probably spend more time defending the program than whacking it, but we do need some ingenuity and creative engagement of the fan base. I don't live or die on who's fault it is or who's it isn't (in social media - everyone is incompetent/guilty and should be fired, jailed or beaten). There are a lot of great universities who are on the same level as UConn in this regard, UConn just needs to step up it's game. As I mentioned to "Drew" - we need student insiders to drive issues on campus - pissing and moaning daily on the BY doesn't drive change (absent the rare chance someone in a decision making position stumbles across or is forwarded something posted here and raising it up to those who can make the change).

Here's a good example from one of the schools who is also re-making their image/standing:

"MEMPHIS --In an unprecedented move away from the athletic department’s standard policies and procedures, Athletics Director Tom Bowen asked Memphis Tigers’ fans and supporters to select the design of the Tigers’ basketball court for the 2013-14 season. Four renderings were offered as possible choices, and the online voting far exceeded expectations.

“Tiger Nation has spoken,” Bowen said. “We thought that the voting process would be a great chance for our fans to offer their opinions as stakeholders in the Tigers’ basketball program, and they responded in massive numbers. It confirms the passion that Memphis fans have for their athletic programs at the University.”

The opportunity to vote on the floor design became an online success and drew national attention. Local television stations made the voting process a lead story on the evening news, and Tigers’ fans flocked to the site to cast their votes.

Given just 10-days to make a selection, Tigers fans logged on the Memphis website and cast 2,997 of the approximately 6,000 total votes for floor design #1, the city skyline/bridge option. Additionally, the Memphis floor will carry the new American Athletic Conference logo, as well as an enlarged leaping Tiger mark and social media marks.

View attachment 3158

http://www.gotigersgo.com/sports/m-...tml?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Too busy for my tastes.

 

[Carl Spackler]

I suppose that means I have to lay off of the funnel before the MD game.

My intuition tells me, that like me, you outgrew the kind of cheap keg beer that would go into a funnel a long time ago, but whatever your fancy in drink, party it up to your content at the game, just print out the relevant sections of the boneyard before stumbling into the box. LOL.

 

[sdhusky]

Really now.

Coke - Pepsi. McDonalds-Burger King.............they got it all wrong.

Thank you. You nailed it. You perfectly demonstrated why nothing you say should be taken seriously.

Coke doesn't have inside sales people, so we shouldn't. Coke doesn't take order online, so we shouldn't. Coke isn't connected with ticketmaster, so we shouldn't.

Coke does get sold at McD's, so we should pursue that channel etc. etc. etc.

 

[sdhusky]

I'll save my experiences, but I get a real chuckle out of your comments, because I've been in contact with people in Storrs before, and also had the exact same feeling....kind of like being looked at like I've got three heads.

I think we know what you mean.

When we read your posts, that is

 

[sdhusky]

As someone who hates social media isn't this why you use it? It costs nothing.

you have to pay people to spend time on social media. how many company blogs/twitter accounts/FB etc with a flurry of activity and then nothing?

Done professionally (and effectively) does require time, thought, planning and execution. It isn't free. Even if you have unpaid interns doing it.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Thank you. You nailed it. You perfectly demonstrated why nothing you say should be taken seriously.

Coke doesn't have inside sales people, so we shouldn't. Coke doesn't take order online, so we shouldn't. Coke isn't connected with ticketmaster, so we shouldn't.

Coke does get sold at McD's, so we should pursue that channel etc. etc. etc.

Fantastic don't take me seriously. Shouldn't ever. I will take you seriously though.

Please explain what "retargeting" is, and why it's obvious that it's not happening on the UCONN ticket buying web window, and how it's a no brainer for boosting sales. I do not understand that.