SEC College Basketball Marketing: #2 Tennessee

Let's continue our journey, looking at how programs are communicating to young athletes (or fans) from a digital point of view. Websites and digital marketing are the great equalizer -- a place where every program can share what they stand for. The internet is always there, and always on. And, as they do on the court, the best programs take advantage of opportunities.

Thus far we've seen #12 Alabama, #11 Mississippi State, #10 Auburn, #9 LSU, #8 Vanderbilt, #7 Ole Miss, #6 South Carolina, #5 Arkansas,#4 Georgia, and #3 Florida.

And then there were 2... Let's keep moving.

#2 Tennessee

The Digital Scouting Report

Strengths: Fantastic Facebook, Blog, and Video depth and energy. Really the whole site is just fun.

Weaknesses: Getting a little more info on this team out there - help us get to know and hopefully fall in love with the Vols.

Full Scouting Report:

The Volunteers home page drops you into this sea of Orange. I'm not a Tennessee fan, but this is a good feel.



I quickly noticed the featured videos on the right and clicked in. As you can see, this opens a large video window, UT Sports TV, with a great video experience and a plethora of video options. Really pleasing.





Heading back to the UT site, I scrolled down and was stopped in my tracks by this collection of ways to follow the program. Complete with consistent branding.



Let's start from the top, with Blogs.



First, I checked out the Inside Source.


Click here -- this is one of if not the best athletics blogs I've come across. It is exactly what you are looking for -- active, authentic, and very personal. Here's a sample to get a feel for the flavor.

"Trying to wring every ounce of focus and intensity out of players is a battle every coach fights, regardless of the season. But it can be a little tougher right now for basketball programs. Final exams end here on Thursday, and Tennessee's basketball players will react the way their classmates usually do - with a huge sigh of relief... As a result, both coaches have scaled back their practice schedules some."

As you also no doubt notice, there is a slew of basketball blogs. What you might not have gathered from that list is that this is a series of live blogging during games. They extend the same personal feel to the live blog. For example:

"10:51 p.m. -- I don't if we keep official track of dunks, but if there is a the record for slams in a game, the Vols have to have it or be close tonight. Hall gets in on the fun with a tip-slam that puts UT ahead 77-50 with 2:16 to play."

This personal feel is really a role model for us all to think through. Incredibly good. The other thing I like about this strategy is it positions the UT site as a game-day hub. In the era that it seems everyone is doing this (creating communities or chats or fan pages), they are killing it. Here's a screen grab.


Up next, the I am Bruce video contest. I loved this. You submit a 60 second video parody of Coach Pearl and have a shot at winning a trip to the SEC Tourney or a chance to be a Coach for a game. The prizes are smart and I'm betting the videos are hilarious. Plus it shows a side of the coach that is powerful -- he is willing to set himself up to be roasted. Nice!

Last but definitely not least, let's click on the UT Social Media box. As you can see, you get into a new layer of ways to follow the Vols...



First, Facebook. The UT Athletics Facebook page is here. I'm amazed. Again.



They offer a fun page, sharing videos and holding a lot of contests. Surveys with a chance to win an iPod nano. Questions of the Day. And a Facebook Scavenger hunt to win Bowl tickets! (Here's the details):

"At 1:00pm on Saturday, December 19th, 2009 we will post our first clue that relates to the location of the tickets. The tickets will be located somewhere in Knoxville, and the first person to reach the destination will win two (2) tickets to the 2009 Chick-Fil-A Bowl. More details will be released as the date approaches. The game is officially sold out, so don't miss out on this great opportunity!"

What I loved about this is that they are creating a culture that you better check in on their page or you're missing something. And they are using Facebook as a way to connect in the physical world. And, like a lot of what we're seeing here, it is fun.

Coach Bruce Pearl is also on Facebook, here. He's got around 4,900 friends and a very active wall. (I don't think I've ever seen so many Christmas gifts or wishes on one page!) He does keep a good chunk of his profile private, but seeing him out here gives me a nice signal into how connected he is.


As you'd expect, he is on Twitter, here. He's got a passionate fan base - over 11000 followers -- but isn't incredibly active. His posts are pretty good, but he keeps them away from a look into the UT program from what I can tell.



You can follow the Basketball Team on Twitter here. There's around 1400 followers, but a very authentic vibe. They share posts that appear on the UT site here, and a little bit of insight into the program. I think this is one of those sites to watch -- it is pretty strong.


It's not listed on the UT site, but you should really check out Assistant Coach Jason Shay on Twitter (here). He's got around 500 followers and is very good. Definitely has that feel of being your coach - with motivations and observations.




Finally, the YouTube channel for UT Sports is here. This is an extension of the UT Sports TV content, and I mean that in a good way -- the Vols are finding more ways of getting good video content out there. Solid.



OK, let's move on to the Basketball home page. Here. You'll notice the latest basketball videos are pumped into the site on the right hand side of the page. Cool.


I went right in to check out Coach Pearl's profile. And, smartly, you are also given a chance to connect with him on Facebook and Twitter. Cool.



The Basketball section gives you access to the Vols media guide, shown below. You can't browse these on the site, but you can download them by category. Kind of a pain to download these one by one if you ask me...


Lastly, the basketball section gives you access to Bruce Pearl.com (you can click on it here). As you'll see, this isn't the deepest experience but it has a couple of great things. Most importantly, Coach Pearl goes into his philosophy, shown below. As he puts it, "It's all about the players." Nice.



You also get a nice look at the locker room and the enormous weight room. I'd love to see a little bit of their strength training philosophy and maybe some player insights on the program but the visuals are strong.


That's a wrap. Come back tomorrow as reveal the top spot in the SEC!

Andy