If you are in Dallas you will know that SMU plays Texas Tech next Monday.
That’s the goal, at least, of the athletic department’s marketing plan that is in full rollout. Viewers across the North Texas area began seeing two TV spots during Sunday night’s newscasts. The ad buy continues through the week on the four network stations leading up to the Texas Tech game, which will be nationally televised on ESPN beginning at 3 p.m. on Monday.
The TV ads tie into the billboards that are located along North Central Expressway. The SMU football helmet is the centerpiece of the campaign – with speaking bubbles on the billboards and a voice in the TV ads.
“When people see that, they immediately recognize the pony and think about SMU,” said director of marketing and promotions Monica Contreras. “It gets people excited about football.”
The first spot ties SMU’s football past to its present. It mentions past players Doak Walker, Don Meredith and the Pony Express, saying that none of them accomplished what current sophomore quarterback Justin Willis has. His record is 29 touchdowns in one season, a record that Willis shattered during his freshman year on the Hilltop.
“It gets across that we are going to have an exciting season,” Contreras said.
The second spot is in slideshow style – showing pictures of the Boulevard and mentioning how there is action before the game and on the field with the team.
“It lets people know that we have a fun party beforehand,” Contreras said, adding that a large number of people in Dallas still do not know about the Boulevard.
Both spots end with an announcer telling fans to get tickets to the game against Texas Tech.
Contreras said a lot of ideas were bounced around for TV ads, but that the talking helmet won because it was unique enough to get people’s attention and get them discussing SMU football.
Feedback to the ads has been positive so far, with the ad featuring the past players and Willis apparently being the favorite.
The media blitz isn’t over yet, as radio spots will begin airing Wednesday on KTCK-1310 “The Ticket” and 103.3 ESPN Radio. They will be different than the TV spots, but still tie into similar themes. Ads will begin airing Friday on 97.9 “The Beat,”102.1 “The Edge” and KRLD-1080 AM.
Department officials will target students heavily on Thursday and Friday during lunchtime around the Hughes-Trigg Student Center. Street teams will be handing out “Pony Up” t-shirts, hats and other promotional items in an effort to raise awareness for the Texas Tech game.
“We need and want to have all of the students at the game,” Contreras said. “They are a big part of our efforts.”
