NCAA Basketball Marketing: What We Could Learn from #12 Utah State

We're in search of inspiration- things that all of us can take and apply into our worlds. Then we will apply a "Plus One" method to make each inspiring thing even better. Thus far, we've looked at top seeded Duke, #2Villanova, #3 Baylor, #4 Purdue, #5 Texas A&M, #6 Notre Dame, #7Richmond, #8 California, #9 Lousiville, #10 Saint Mary's, and #11 Old Dominion.

Let's go.

South Region #12 Seed Utah State: What's Inspiring about Utah State Athletics Marketing? (Link Here)

1. Stories about Former Athletes

I'm a huge fan of calling things what they are. And, as you'll see in the menu below, the Aggies bring us a look into their alums via "Stories about Former Athletes." Fantastic callout, albeit a little bit weird to place that underneath the header "Scholarship Fund".

Click in and you can filter alums by decade or sport...

And arrive at a look into each player's time at Utah State, followed by what they're up to now. You can even email them (see the image below). I love this. There is something magical about letting future student athletes see what became of those who wore the jersey years ago. It's not all about the Pros. It's about what the time on campus prepared them for.

Plus One: This is a great starting point. But I would challenge in two areas (even though it's just a "Plus One." First, add a filter by job field or industry. (If I want to go into Marketing, tell me the stories of alums who are in this area.) And two, consider an outreach to all alums at regular intervals post graduation. (Try to get their stories immediately on graduation, at 5 years, 10, 15, 20, etc.) You won't get everyone, but this depth will only add to the allure of playing here.

2. A fantastic Basketball Blog

Yes. I love blogs. They have an emotional effect on fans - somehow making you feel much more connected to the team. Utah State's is fantastic. (Check it for yourself, here). I like the blog for many reasons. 1) they leverage photography well - and it's exclusive photos you can't find elsewhere. 2) they leverage a player (Tyler Newbold) to write a good chunk of this. 3) they give us quick access to all things USU hoops (see the left hand navigation).

Plus One: The blog could benefit from taking some of the weight off of one player's shoulders. Leverage one of the radio announcers to moderate the discussion, bringing in insights from the full team throughout the season. This is a great platform that can be built upon, let's make it happen!

3. Watch the Games from a Suite

Interesting. That's the thought that hit me when this concept came to me on the Aggies site. Not much makes your program feel as prestigious as the fact that you can invest a BIG amount of money to experience the game in style. And, as you can see below (or here), fans can rent out a hospitality suite for $1800/game. This must mean the games are fun, right?

Plus One: For that kind of money, we need a deep look into the experience. Give me a personal tour of what you get. Let me see and hear the sounds of the crowd. What's my view like? The USU athletics site gives us a couple of images (see below), but we have an opportunity to go much deeper into the experience!

What's next?

We'll be back to continue our collegiate journey Wednesday with a breakdown of #13 seed Siena.

As always, you can follow along on Twitter - I'm @pawlow34.