I'll be taking the week to look at 5 sites who aren't "Official" School sites but who make following a program more dynamic. These sites play a critical role in building an athletics brand, and should not be ignored for the roll they play in cultivating a fan base... and inspiring a (prospective) recruit.
They Sound of Success
Hit the site and you'll here music. Many sites in this zone ignore the fact that music is a critical part of the student-athlete (and recruit's) world. And it's pumping right here for you on the site. Then, mouse over the bottom left (National Attention) and it literally plays the audio of an ESPN announcing team talking about the craziness it is to play at Kansas State. Wow. Wish I could automate that audio for you on my site, but alas, click here to hear for yourself.
How could this go further? Tell us the music the guys are listening to, now. It's a simple video to capture and it is a point of immediate connection between the recruit and the squad.
Branding of Success
Who We Are and How We Win. That's the bold statement K-State delivers on their main page, and yes, it sets a mighty strong tone. (Fitting for Coach Martin, huh?) But this isn't the only place they deliver this level of branding around winning...
Scroll to the bottom of the site and you will see the image of a champion (plaques) with the following phrases: 24 NCAA Tournaments. 16 Sweet Sixteens. 11 Elite Eights. 4 Final Fours. 19 Conference Championships. 36 All-Americans. 50 NBA Draft Picks. Wow.
Hit any player page (see Jacob Pullen's here) and you'll see the branding of success applied to them in a succinct bullet. Try this, "2010-11 AP Pre-Season All American. Big 12 Pre-Season Player of the Year." It's current, and (yes) it's bold and about success. And as a prospect, it shows you the team will elevate what they love about you.
Finally, hit Coach Martin's bio (here) and you'll see a bio of all of the NBA Players he has coached in his career (not just at K-State). It's definitely the type of reminder you want as a student athlete who hits this page. It's about planting a vision in your head of what you can be... if you become a Wildcat!
An Articulate Philosophy
Kansas State is very articulate about what they are about. Click in, here, and you'll be treated to a dynamic, cinematic video experience of the program (the gear, the facilities, the squad). That's the sizzle. Where's the steak?
The philosophy is spelled out for you, here. It's a bold paragraph about winning. Read for yourself.
"We pressure our opponents for 40 straight minutes, offensively and defensively. Pressure makes people break. The more pressure you apply on people every opportunity you get, the more difficult you make it for your opponent. You have to be intense about what you're doing. In order to have intensity about what you're doing you have to have tremendous passion. Those three things are the things that I'm all about. I'm about pressuring people. I'm about intensity, and I'm about passion."
Fun
Finally, this game is about fun and not everyone remembers that, especially when it comes to serious things like Recruiting and Branding. K State gets it, big. This starts with the player roster, referred to as the Player's Lounge, shown below...
But it is most evident in the Roster shot, below. (or here) How fun is this? And why wouldn't you want to play with guys like this?
Yes, the coaches have their own version of fun. (Kind of anyway!)
That's it. Add it all up and you get a consistent experience that connects you to a program.
THANK YOU to Coach Martin for giving us a reason to feel the game through Kansas State Basketball's Vantage.
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2 comments:
This is the best lay out I've come across, Andy. Really easy to read, easy to digest. It almost looks like it was made for an iPad or a mobile device.
Vince
I agree, it's powerful. Feels like it would be perfect on a mobile... (very forward thinking!)
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