Big 12 College Basketball Marketing: #9 Kansas

Let's continue our analysis of the Big 12 Conference. We're going to look at how programs are communicating to young athletes from a digital point of view.

We dive into this because websites and digital marketing create an opportunity for coaches and programs to share what they stand for. Young athletes are going to visit. What message are they getting? The internet is always there, and always on.

And, just as they do on the court, the best coaches and programs take advantage of opportunities.

So let's keep moving. Thus far our Big 12 journey has shown us #12 Texas Tech, #11 Colorado, and #10 Texas.

#9: Kansas

The Digital Scouting Report

Strengths: Really solid Facebook presence. And nicely promoted iPhone app.

Weaknesses: Really need more of Coach Self infused here.

Full Scouting Report:

When we hit the home page here, we get a navigation that brings you headlines but allows you to quickly see the latest videos or events. I'll get to that in a minute. While we're still on this page, I also want you to note the Jayhawk iPhone icon in the bottom right.

I moused over the Multimedia button at the top of the page, and was hit with a wall of good stuff. The iPhone app appears again. And we get hit with the 1-2-3 punch of Podcasts, Facebook, and Twitter.

OK, I can't wait any longer. Kansas unveiled an iPhone application, which is pretty cool. You're going to bring your phone with you everywhere - to the gym, in the car, and out. You're probably not taking your laptop with you as often. Which makes the ability to bring audio and video content with you pretty cool.

I'm betting among the features the app will give you are access to the Kansas Athletics podcasts, which are also shown below. I like bringing the podcasts to the KU site -- you get a good sense of what is waiting for you without getting taken directly to the iTunes store. But there doesn't seem to be a way to subscribe for just basketball podcasts - and I'm not that keen on subscribing for everything and then deleting the football (or volleyball) programs. A simple tweak could make this a lot better.

OK, moving on. I double-clicked on the Twitter button and was taken here, to the KU Social Networking directory. I'm a big fan of directories like this, as it gives you at a glance all the ways you can stay in touch with the programs. (Just the change I was hoping for in their podcasts!)

As you can see, there isn't a KU Basketball Twitter presence. But there is a KU athletics page, here, with roughly 3800 followers. It's updated pretty regularly, across all sports and they have been pretty active during football games. I'm pretty intrigued to check back and see how this looks during the heart of basketball season.

While there isn't a basketball Twitter destination, there is one on Facebook. As you can see below and here, it is a very active community of 20,000 members. They post pictures and video here, and engage an already passionate community. Solid.

Staying in the basketball world, I wanted to check out the Jayhawk Basketball home page (here). As we saw in the home page, you are taken to a main window with quick access to news, video content, and event info.

But that breakdown is much more powerful here. Let's click on the video tab:


Cool. Now there's a bunch of dead space (or maybe it's my computer?) but I like the fact that we have good original videos right inside the site. I only wish we had a way to share this video easily.

This is extra important, as this video content is really the energy point on the Jayhawks site. The bottom of the site has a section of Highlights, which is your other opportunities to get into inspired by what it means to be in the program.


Here's where you get access to Jayhawks in the NBA. Howerver, as you can see below, it is simply a text link to their NBA.com profiles. As we've covered with Colorado and Texas, this is a chance to get us excited and to see your school as a place where dreams start.

There really isn't much in the way of history either. Which is surprising, as the Jayhawks won it all just 2 seasons ago. KU history is accessible, but it is buried in the form of a media guide PDF... And while PDFs are great, they are very tough to feel.

We can make the assumption that everyone understands what it means to be a Jayhawk. Or that Coach Self is a great recruiter. I'm not questioning either -- all I'm saying is that the Jayhawks have a History and recent success that most programs would trip over themselves to be able to share. This is an opportunity to tell their story and be inspiring. And this is an opportunity they should take on.

That concludes our breakdown of Kansas basketball. Tune in tomorrow as we keep our Big 12 journey rolling.

Andy