USF Marketing - Be Positive/Constructive

[Guest USF_BE_#1]

Shoop I agree with you.

We need another kids program. 2 of my 3 are too old for the Jr. Bulls.

The streets surrounding RJS need to be paved in GREEN and GOLD on game.

And please can we do something inside on game day?

It feels like a 16yrold driving Daddy's new sports car!

If I'm not wrong people other than Buc's fans payed for that stadium.

[WoolyBully]

And please can we do something inside on game day?

It feels like a 16yrold driving Daddy's new sports car!

What's that mean?

[Joe]

Its not ours but we're using it. Meaning its clearly the Bucs stadium, and we do have rights to it. But it doesn't feel like home.

[Publious Da BULL]

I believe we could start with the new bull restaurant

on Fowler .I went Saturday Good people .It drives me crazy I have given USF athletics Big dollars as an alumni

this year.I am a season ticket holder with 8 tickets in Basketball and Football.I was at Charlotte .I advertize

on all my business vehicles Love my Bulls.As a Rough Rider My Uniform ,My Ads . It hurts to read from Alumni

that they are not satisfied. I think we need some

real effort at USF within the program of Athletics.

Not an Employee but a Believer. Lets talk about

BELEIVING in the BULLS. My goal is to sell 10 -25

BOOSTERS in 2006 How about you?

[BigShoop]

BigShoop wrote:

Not what I was saying on the other thread ... but I don't believe uni's have that much to do with making money.

Look at Penn St, USC, Notre Dame ...

the older schools started....and already had DEEP rooted tradition before the explosion of replica jerseys came on the scene. Hell, we didnt START until after that explosion.

Penn St, USC, ND, and all schools similar in tradition make a pretty penny on their percentage of jersey sales. And what they dont make directly in cash money, they make indirectly in advertising. A replica jersey is a walking billboard, man!

I dont see how you CANT see that it's a way to make money...

[E.T.]

I personally don't see the big difference in those VaTech jerseys.

And I don't see us changing our uni's making a big difference, if any at all.

[mutt]

What I'd like to see is more USF public presence. I mean WHY don't we have a float in the Gasparilla parade? or in ANY parade around Tampa Bay for that matter? Some say we need to paint Tampa bay green and gold... Well we as BULL fans need to wear our green and gold EVERYWHERE WE GO!!! We need hang-outs and dives, traditions to create and to build on. Slowly, it's happening. Keep on keepin on!!!   And as always GO BULLS!!!

[Guest BullsFans]

Mutt.....that issue has been raised many times only to hear  excuses like... "It cost too much"...."Just a bunch of drunks" ..."Who needs the bay area community".

I ask....Why have the Herd of Thunder if your not going to use it to bring attention to USF and USF Athletics....It's like buying a fur coat and leaving it in the closet because it costs too much to wear it anywhere.

Other colleges have many fans from the community who never attended their school....some have left sizeable contributions to them.

Colleges don't sit on their and wait for students to apply for admission....they spend lots of money marketing/recruiting ( locally and elswhere in the world).   USF has another product to offer...Big East Sports...and they need to spend the money to fill the seats...they must compete for the public's entertainment dollars.  There is more to selling  college sports than just winning games...the sooner USF learns this sooner they will be come a major player  in the college sports business.

The sooner they put more butts in the seats in RJS the sooner USF can justify the need for building a stadium of it's own.

Just imagine... Jim Leavitt Stadium... complete with gray flannel seats...and an upper deck without seats for students who think that you're not a true fan unless you stand for the whole time you're in the staduim.

[USF03]

Mutt.....that issue has been raised many times only to hear  excuses like... "It cost too much"...."Just a bunch of drunks" ..."Who needs the bay area community".

I ask....Why have the Herd of Thunder if your not going to use it to bring attention to USF and USF Athletics....It's like buying a fur coat and leaving it in the closet because it costs too much to wear it anywhere.

The Herd of Thunder IS expensive to move... or in your wording "wear."  But the marching band DOES get used... we attend more away games than about half of the D1 university bands out there by going to just 1 away game!  Not to mention us attending the bowl game.

The university uses the band as they see fit.  We have three "bands" (the Marching Band (football) , the Pep Band (Basketball), and the Show Band (special events).  

The Marching Band has upwards of 215 members and costs A LOT to send anywhere.  To send the marching band anywhere... it must be during the Fall semester (its a class offered only in the fall).  THANK ATHLETICS FOR SUCKING IT UP AND TAKING EVERYONE! (band, cheerleaders, sundolls, support, etc)

The Pep Band has around 75 members (we take turns going to games) and are hardly sent anywhere for special events.  It is really only designed for basketball games (we have a lot of BB games).  

The Show Band is made up of 27 members and has 10 "gigs" a term.  These performances include many different university and local events.  University events trump the local events, for OBVIOUS reasons.  The Show Band can have no more than 10 gigs as it is a "paid" band.  Students in this band are therefore obligated to only go to 10 gigs.  A lot of gigs this spring term revlove around the 50th anniv. of USF.

GIG SUMMARY for the Spring:

Charlotte Bowl Gigs             (Those count as ONE gig)          Charlotte, NC

MLK/50th Anniv                   11:00 - 1:30pm                           Tuesday, January 17th On Campus      

Taste of the Arts                 12:00 - 1:00pm                           Wednesday, Feb 1st       On Camups

USF Day in Tallahassee       TBA                                   (this will be an ALL DAY gig 5am-10pm - 2 gig credits)

POSSIBLE GIGS

We're working on a Yankees Spring Training game, and a possible minor league Hockey Game as well!!

----

We go where we can to help the university's image.  We are limited.  You can't expect band students in Show Band to go to more than 10 SB gigs, 6+ football games, 3 to 4 exhibitions, and  20 basketball games WHILE taking a full course load (3/4ths or more of the band are not music majors - Med students, etc).  Even music majors have tough schedules (requiring many rehaerals that count as only 1 credit a term!).

Do your homework... just becuase we skip over a bunch of drunks at gasperilla one year doesn't mean we arn't being used!

Take a look at the HOT Calendar before talking trash next time.  http://band.arts.usf.edu/calendar.htm'>http://band.arts.usf.edu/calendar.htm

All of this information can be found at http://band.arts.usf.edu (even though I'm the one that posts it, haha, you can still check if you want)

[Joe]

and an upper deck without seats for students who think that you're not a true fan unless you stand for the whole time you're in the staduim.

Putting the students in the upper deck would kill any enjoyment of the game for them. At least give em the endzone.

I am content that you need to focus your marketing on the students and plan for the future. People who are college football fans, but not USF fans in the Bay Area are probably committed to those teams. Getting them to change could happen, but it will be hard.

However, many students on campus are semi-bulls fans. They are fans because they go to school there, but they also might be a fan of one of teh Big 3, and those games matter more to them. The current students (1st full class of I-A football) are going to become the boosters that many schools have now, and what the university wants. Mr. and Ms. Smith make find fans, but if all they are good for is two Saturdays in the fall is is really worth a heavy marketing effort? What if you can pull Johnny Student, who just graduated from USF, has a decent starting job and in 10 years is very successful to give $10,000-15,000 a season to be a top booster (I believe thats the minimum at FSU and UF).

Current students (outside the regular 3-4,000) don't really buzz about the games and look at it more as a social gathering than a great game with a chance at a bowl. The marketing department needs to make these students feel that this is more than a game with friends it is THE game.

Go expierence students at FSU or UF, before the game they are usually nervous, pumped, and ready to play it. If they lose they're destroyed!

USF students right now (from what I've witnessed the last 2-3 years) are more like "oh well let's go party."

I know it will be awhile before we're a major football school, but why not start marketing now to those who will be our ultimate support to get there.