NCAA Tournament Basketball Marketing: What we can learn from #9 Seed Wake Forest

Today we continue on our journey into the East Region, from a marketing point of view. We're in search of inspiration - things that all of us can take and apply into our worlds. And, for fans, of each team, that's a look into what makes you special.

Thus far, we've reviewed top seeded Kentucky, #2 West Virginia, #3 New Mexico, #4 Wisconsin, #5 Temple, #6 Marquette, #7 Clemson, and #8 Texas.

We previously broke down the Wake Forest Athletics marketing efforts (here), and I'll do my best to add a new perspective.

Let's roll.

East #9 Seed Wake Forest (Link Here)

What's Inspiring About Wake Forest Athletics Marketing?

1. Split Screen Vision

It's not too often that I brag about a layout of a site. Really that's because layouts are so subjective and I'm really trying to dive into things we can all take and apply. But there's something powerful about Wake Forest's layout that I wanted to dive into.

As you can see below, they offer to equal sized screens. One (the left hand side) is for news and is delivered via a picture. The other, on the right, is the latest video content for the Deacons. I loved this 1-2 punch.

It provides a super easy to get into system that elevates two different kinds of content...



How could this be better?

• It's the definition of 2 types of content. I'm not sure I would define them as Text vs Video. What if it was "Personal Side" and "On the Court Side" of players? Or Players and Fans. Mix video and images in both instances, but leverage this system for the power it contains.
• Make it easy to share. Pictures and video should be super easy to share and the way this site is built right now doesn't allow us to do this. Posting the videos in Facebook or YouTube and then embedding them would be a nice start. (And the pictures in Flickr, of course)
  

2. Deacon Direct Blog

You might have guessed by now that I love insider blogs. I feel more connected to every team that has them, and Wake is no exception. I wanted to call out a couple of things that the Demon Deacon Blog (link here) does really well.

• They are consistent. The style is simple soundbytes, and each day you get your palate full of great access to the program.
• They share everything they find. It's almost like you feel as if you don't need to look anywhere else, because they do the heavy lifting for you. Nice.
• They give access to other sites who contain Wake Athletics info on their site. Again, helping connect you with what you crave.
  

How Could this be Better?

• I would love to see them bring a little more first person observation into the coverage. In other words, keep giving us what's public info, but now give us private info too!
• Challenge us with contests, quizzes, and other things to drive comments and interaction on this site.
  

3. Elevated Pros

More than just about anyone we've covered, Wake Forest does a nice job of elevating those who have made it to the next level. As you'll see in the image below, they do this via both a list of who's made it and access to their sites...



As you scroll down, tell me how powerful it is to see Tim Duncan + Josh Howard + Chris Paul. Wow...





How could this be Better?

• It starts where I ended. What does it add up to? I would love to see Wake Forest build a page about the impact each of these 3 players made while they were at Wake. Include video, photography, testimonials, and anything you have to help future student athletes envision themselves in these players' footsteps.
• Ask each of these 3 players to build a parallel section on their websites about the impact Wake Forest had on their lives.
• Finally, leverage Twitter. Bring these 3 guys together into one Wake Forest NBA alumni Twitter feed and let fans experience the success that they share.

That's it.

Come back tomorrow as we keep on moving in the East Region.