USF Marketing - Be Positive/Constructive

[USF03]

Touche

[El_Toro_86]

Hey E.T.-

I'm one of those old alums you were hammering, class of '86, circa Charlie Bradley and Tommy Tonelli.  When I was there, school spirit was non-existent.  After graduating from USF, I went to UF for a couple of years of doctoral work and never finished, but became a huge Gator fan.  It's hard not to become a Gator fan while living in Gainesville and having no previous loyalty to any program.  To this day I am still a Gator fan.  However, the Bulls are #1 now.  Next year I'm going to join the Bulls club and get season tickets.  This process of growing the fan base will take time and as the current students graduate with the experience of big time college football they will stay loyal and support the university.  This is how it works.  And of course winning helps.  Hear that CJL.

Go Bulls!

[Guest USFSam]

I'd also like to see us go with Nike soon for our outfitting contract. Not sure what the situation is like right now or about the feasibility, but it'd be nice to see more USF stuff in stores like Hibbett, etc. The "U with horns" logo is a great icon and would sell regardless of fan affiliation, IMO. A lot of people wear Miami's "U" just because they're from the 305 and I think you'd see a similar trend among people "representin" from the Bay Area. It'd help with recruiting, too, as crazy as it may sound. VT used to have similar uniforms to ours and when Nike revamped them, Beamer said it was well-received on the recruiting trails(as much alumni may have hated it).

 

[Guest BullsFans]

Uniforms do not put points on the board, do not make winners out of losers.  Palyers and coaches produce points and wins.

A bush league team in trendy uniforms is still a bush league team.

Fans don't buy tickets to see uniforms, performance sells.

If USF want to keep me as a season ticket holder they are going to have to start playing some better football...

A million dollar coach needs to put a team on the field that can move the football, put points on the board, and win   games.  He needs to produce or ship his ass back to Kansas....It's **** or get of the pot time.

 

[SANJAY]

Marketing should begin this monoth calling all season ticket holders (hire students if needed), and begin the renewal process for next year.  In doing that they should, in a non-pushy way, see if they can upgrade the seats to the next donor level, and also ask if there is anyone else (or someone elses) to whom season ticket information could be sent.  Along with  the information packet would be a cover letter identifying who asked the information be sent.  

This would not be like normal telemerkaters (who I hate) but more of the usual raise money for the school stuff (which calls I have always taken).

[Apis Bull]

Guys, I know that the marketing guys are listening and I know some changes are being talked about for next year.

[usfbullgirl30]

What about some sort of deal if you already have Bucs season tickets?  They can't have their regular seats but it might fill up another section!  

Just a thought I had on my drive back to Tampa today!

[BigShoop]

Kids - As is the case with any sports team, I would cater towards the kids first. It's the kids who are constantly tugging at daddy's shirt saying "daddy, take me to a football game" ..... "daddy, buy me a shirt" ..... etc...

Most parents are not going to go out of their way to attend a sporting event, what with the hassle of finding babysitters and such......but if their kids are begging them to go, it would definitely encourage them and give them the kick in the ass they need.

Uniforms - Say what you want, but a new, fresh looking set of uniforms can do wonders. Take the Bucs for instance: they were at a time in their franchise with the new stadium and the improving team, that the red and pewter exploded everywhere in the tampa bay area.

The Bulls have SO much potential with their colors and new logo that just isnt being tapped. Let's look at Virginia Tech. They went from this:

To this:

It's all about image.

This is how you bring in the teenage crowd. Quick, how many 13-17 year olds do you see wearing USF jerseys to school? Answer: ZERO.

If you have some new, fresh looking uniforms, the teenagers will start wearing the gear, then next thing you know theyre begging their parents for money so they can go to the games with their friends....

AND FOR GOD SAKES GET THE CORRECT COLORS ON THE HELMETS!!!! (sorry, had to...)

Note: I love what the basketball team has done with their uniforms. They are awesome, and if they WERE available for purchase, I would definitely throw down my $50 on one.

Now, if we can only get a cool looking floor in the Sun Dome....am I being nitpicky?

Answer: yes. but those in charge should be even MORESO...

General retail -

I absolutely LOVE that I can now (as opposed to 3 years ago) go into a Lids or Sports FanAttic or any sports store and find so many nice looking USF hats, shirts, flags, banners, magnets, etc.

Keep it up, these items are improving every year. Would love to have even more to choose from.

Eastern Hillsborough, Pasco, Hernando, Polk, Manatee -

Yeah, these areas ALL have sports fans in them.

Plant City and Lakeland should NOT be full of Gator fans.  

USF needs to dominate these areas. There needs to be billboards all over I-4, US 19 N of 54, I-75 S of the Skyway Bridge, Hwy 60 E of I-75, ANYWHERE on 301 or 41, Hwy 39 in Plant City.....am I making sense here?

MAKE people wonder: "Hmmm, what is up with USF? I'm just about sick and tired of seeing that damned logo everywhere! When I get home I'm gonna google it and find out..."

TV -

USF should NOT be used as filler in the sports reports on the local stations.

Also, the coaches shows need some sprucing up, and need to be more advertised. If I didnt  stumble upon the McCullum and Leavitt shows on random saturdays around noon, then I wouldve never known.....and I'm a hardcore fan.

The casual fan doesnt even know these shows exist.

The shows also need some serious revamping. Gimme some CONTENT. Gimme something to look at. Gimme some stats, gimme some graphics, gimme something that doesnt look like it was thrown together in 5 minutes, in a back room of the Sun Dome.

Coaches -

No, I dont think we need new ones, and even if I did, this isnt the post to discuss that. What I'm saying is, make them famous.

I would guess that Billy Donovan and Urban Meyer probably cant walk down the street without a herd of people recognizing and approaching them.

I'd be willing to bet that McCullum and Leavitt can walk around Tampa Bay pretty easily, McCullum especially.

These are your 2 "money maker coaches".... These guys need to have their faces everywhere. Give the program some sort of identity.

GAMES ON TV

Every football and basketball game should be televised. Without exception. Ever.

TV is the NUMBER 1 way to bring people into your program. The lack of games - basketball mostly - on TV is disgusting.

I want to see USF basketball (mens and womens) on tv. If I'm a high school kid, I wanna be on tv. That's HUGE in recruiting. HUGE!

Hell, I wanna see USF baseball games. I wanna see USF soccer games (soccer sucks). I wanna see USF golf. I wanna see USF freaking tennis!

The contract with Brighthouse 47 is a start, but guess what, NOT EVERYONE HAS ACCESS TO BRIGHTHOUSE 47!

But, if we are gonna have a contract with Brighthouse, let's get some games on it! How many times have YOU turned on Brighthouse 47 and saw some woman selling you jewelry or some infomercial? I know that personally, my tv would stay tuned to Ch 47 if there was a USF baseball game on or a women's basketball game on.....

*lightbulb*

*knock knock*

HELLO!!!!

Radio -

LOVE the move to Clear Channel radio. Love it. Love it. Love it.

One problem: time slots.

The Jim Leavitt show is buried on sunday nights at 8pm. and the Robert McCullum show is "fit in" whenever they can fit it in during the week.

Also, a pre and post game call in show for the games (fb and bb) would be just spectacular. There IS a demand for it. We know this based on the many posts on this board alone about it.

How cool was it, on the saturday of the West Virginia game, to hear Jason and Justin's saturday show live from Raymond James Stadium?!

Internet -

Excited about the new Bulls website. Love thebullspen.com. Now if we can only get them associated with each other..................

hmmmm.........

Or would that limit some of the freedoms that we currently have? If so, nevermind.

Alumni -

Find them.

All of them.

Mail them a letter wth 2 tickets enclosed.

Remind them that USF is still in existance and invite them to a game, for free. Not only that, but hook them up with good seats or club seats. Free food and drink, t-shirts, or basically just cater to their needs for one night.

The hospitality you show at 1 game may just rekindle the old USF flame and you may just "hook" a fan and a wallet for life.

We MUST connect better with the Alumni.  We need to get their money away from the FSUs, UMs, and UFs. I'm so sick and tired of seeing USF graduates wearing the other teams' gear.

Gameday -

I realize we share a stadium, and I realize that sometimes its not possible due to a Bucs game the next day, but on games when it IS possible, PAINT THE DAMNED FIELD.

ALL OF IT.

I want Big East logos, and USF logos.

I want to FEEL like I'm in a USF stadium.

Pregame intros: Love the new video this year, but I think we can really expand on the way the team is introduced....

1) Snorting Bull and "stampeding" sounds being played over the loudspeakers...

2) Announcing the visitors 1st. Let the boo-ing subside and let the opposing team stand on their sideline and WATCH our entrance.

In every game for the past 2 seasons, the teams both come out at virtually the same time and it's all a big cluster-eff.

Half boos and half cheers, and it just all seems so rushed....

3) Gimme some more green around the stadium, on the outside. You know, some banners on 275, Boy Scout, Hillsborough, MLK, Himes and Dale Mabry.

I want everyone driving in Tampa Bay, around the stadium, to know that there is a Bulls game going on and that THEY are the ones missing it.

[E.T.]

Great Post BS !

Love the thoughts. Will comment after I look more into.

Go BULLS !!!

[80mins]

Shoop--someone neds to give you a job! :-)