When you look at college athletic marketing, it’s basically all cut from the same cloth. The same overly dramatic images of players with similar smokey design treatments. So Spitball laced up our sneakers, huddled up and called an audible for Rutgers Athletics. Putting the focus on more than the athletes, we tossed the traditional play calling aside and looked at what made Rutgers truly different. With a sports team that proudly calls New Jersey home in a NY dominated DMA, “Get Your Jersey On” was drawn up and resulted in a perfectly executed game plan.
RUTGERS ATHLETICS
SHREDDING THE PLAYBOOK
WINNING GAME PLAN
RUTGERS ATHLETICS:
GET YOUR JERSEY ON
“Get Your Jersey On” tapped into the deep state pride through a unifying rally cry across all RU sports fans and athletes. The design elements of the campaign exposed the multi-layer meaning of “Jersey” from the fabric texture to how each person cheers their team to “Jersey attitude” that fans exude. Images of in-stadium action were married with on and off-field pageantry to reinforce the strategy of selling more than just a game ticket; we were selling an experience.
MEDIA STRATEGY
FULL-COURT PRESS
Spitball honed in on an audience-centric media plan that sought to reach and engage casual sports fans who had an abundance of other recreational options. Tried and true media placements and trade deals coupled with digital targeting opportunities proved to be a winning game plan that drove impressions, ticket sales and sellouts.
CAMPAPIGN EXTENSION
JERSEY ATHLETE RECRUITING
"Get Your Jersey On" spanned beyond a consumer fan campaign into athlete recruiting. Keeping star athletes from NJ in state and choosing Rutgers has historically been difficult. The new campaign spoke to high school athletes and the pride of playing for their state school.
PROJECT RESULTS:
WE SHOT. WE SCORED!
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38% BASKETBALL ATTENDANCE
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2000% ORGANIC SEARCH
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383% IN MEDIA ROI
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5 GAMES SOLD OUT FOR MENS BASKETBALL
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RANKED 5th NATIONALLY IN WRESTLING ATTENDANCE
“We chose Spitball to help us find a call to action that would resonate with our athletic teams, existing fan base, and draw in a wider audience of potential new fans to come and experience the excitement of a Rutgers Athletics event. We are thrilled to work with such a talented team and look forward to seeing where this campaign takes us in the coming years.”
~ SUSAN BEURSKENS, Assistant Athletic Director for Marketing