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.

College Hoops: Digital ACC Preview - Team #7 Wake Forest

We continue our journey through the ACC in search of the best digital program. This is a chance for coaches and teams to share what it means to be a part of their system. To get you fired up about the program. To believe and to connect. We last left the story here, talking through #12 Boston College, #11 Miami, #10 Georgia Tech, #9 Virginia Tech, and #8 NC State.

Let's keep moving.

#7. Wake Forest

Starting again with their digital scouting report:

Strengths: Video content in basketball section makes it feel alive. 3 coaches on Twitter. Personal feeling blog. Interesting desktop app brings content to fans.

Weaknesses: No celebration of the program's tradition. No link to Twitter feeds on the site. Limited ways to stay in touch with the basketball program.

The Full Scouting Report:
Wake Forest's program is one I was excited about touring. Chris Paul. Tim Duncan. This has the potential of really getting you pumped... but you'll have to find that information elsewhere, as I couldn't find it here. (sigh) Upon visiting the WF athletics site, here, you'll see a Multimedia button on the top of the site, which is where most of their action starts.

One of the pieces you get access to, as we've seen in other sites, is the athletic department's podcast series, in this case, "Deacon Podcasts". It looks to be fairly regularly updated, but is not focused in on any one sport. Again, hitting you with a "I know you came here for hoops, but take all the other sports with it" message. (Feels a lot like a cable TV package to me -- I know you want ESPN, but here's Animal Planet...)

Wake Forest also delivers a Desktop Communicator application from this Multimedia section (image below). This is pretty cool, as it essentially puts an icon on your desktop that pulls the latest stories from Wake Forest athletics down to your desktop, along with scores or other updates. Interesting as it is a simple way to subscribe... though from what I could tell you really don't have a lot of customization here either. But I definitely love the ability to send you updates in ways that don't require you being logged into the WF athletics site.

Wake Forest also gives you quick access to their blog, here. The blog is pretty solid in that it feels very personal (even updating you on student athlete birthdays). Like many other aspects of the site, it provides potential to give you personal access into each program. While maintaining separate blogs for every sport may be a bit out of reach, I found an example I'd love to see Wake leverage. EA Sports has a similar challenge (loads of games, not loads of blogs), and their solution is here. Just click on the Show All Posts button and select the game you're interested in. Pretty simple but helps you focus your time on what excites you!

Drilling into the basketball section is what puts Wake a bit ahead of the other schools we've reviewed thus far. You'll see the video player in the site, giving you quick access to basketball-specific videos from the WF Basketball page. Sounds simple, but it really changes how alive and connected to the program you feel.

If you want even more access to the Wake program, you need to turn to Twitter. It's tough to find, as none of these are connected to the Wake Forest athletics site (from what I could find anyway). The following Twitter feeds give access into the program at some level: Wake Forest athletics (albeit all sports) with 873 followers and 821 tweets, Head Coach Dino Gaudio, (with only 4 tweets but 477 followers), Assistants Rusty LaRue (128 followers) and Jeff Battle (only 3 followers thus far). While none of the coaches have been super active, a quote from Coach LaRue here shows how they are using it -- largely to monitor scouting sites... but they recognize that as more recruits tweet that may change.

And, as you can see, they are setting themselves up for it.

Thanks for reading.... Stay tuned for tomorrow's reveal of team #6!