Thumbs up

Earlier this week, I was surprised to see that my friend Patrick Fortner had endorsed me on LinkedIn. It took him the click of a mouse—less than a second—to show that he was a fan of my work. In much the same vein, I’ve had colleagues and co-workers write letters (now emails) of recommendation, make phone calls, or otherwise advocate on my behalf. In these small ways, they build my brand, sanctioning who I am and the methods by which I do it.

 

These minor gestures carry a big weight. We trust people we know, and value their opinions, so when they express approval, it holds a lot of sway. It’s enough to influence hiring decisions, change votes, alter buying decisions, and make us question our choices.

 

As PR and marketing professionals, it’s easy to forget that we can capture and direct some of this same power. No matter the organization, there are hundreds—perhaps thousands—of people who like the products or services it provides and are willing to tell their friends. It’s what social media expert Ted Rubin calls a Return on Relationship. They might need a little nudge from time to time, but the potential is there.  

 

For example, I blogged two weeks ago about the positive public relations my alma mater’s football team is generating for the school. At the center of that buzz is an unassuming kid named Johnny Manziel, a phenomenal athlete who is likely, next week, to become the first freshman player to win the Heisman Trophy.  

 

While the national sports media is generating a lot of the excitement, the power of one amazing quarterback to elevate the Texas A&M brand is also being bolstered by alumni and fans who have a stake in the game. We already had a positive feeling about the product (Texas A&M University). Now we’ve been shown a clear and easy path to advocate for it (by simply saying nice things about a nice Texas kid). And we’ve got the numbers to make an impact: with 333,308 “Former Students”—the A&M name for alumni, whether or not they received a degree—we’re a sizeable group of potential promoters.

 

Like any good mar/comm department, A&M has made it easy for supporters to become cheerleaders. They’ve developed a dedicated website, complete with a fun and flashy video that can be shared at the click of a button. They regularly share stories from ESPN, The Sporting News, Associated Press, and other major media, encouraging us to “share on Facebook and other social media.” Which we do. And they involve us at every key moment, like invitations watch press conferences online via streaming video feeds. In other words, they make us part of the team.

 

These efforts do two things simultaneously: first, the Heisman campaign gives the alumni a splashy and cool way to talk about something we love. Yes, it’s about football—but it’s also an opportunity to say “Look at us! Oh, and while you’re here…did you know we’re a member of the Association of American Universities because of our research and that we’re nationally ranked in number of academic programs?”

 

Second, it bolsters brand loyalty from within. While we’re out there cheerleading for our favorite school, we’re reinforcing our own positive feelings about the organization. Long after the football season has ended, we’ll favorably respond to requests for donations, political advocacy on behalf of the university, and other endorsements.

 

Of course, you don’t get donors or lifelong customers overnight. But building brand advocates can start very small—literally small, in fact. For instance, you can get a “mini buy-in” by asking people for the most basic show of support. Think about the yellow plastic “Livestrong” bracelets. More than 80 million of them have been sold (at just $1 each) since 2004. If you have one on your wrist and see it every day, how much more likely are you to respond to the Foundation’s fundraising mailer? The same holds true for a pink ribbon or a political candidate’s bumper sticker. It’s asking for an almost insignificant commitment, but one that can yield dividends for the organization in the long term. Why? Because it’s the beginning of a relationship that you can cultivate and grow over time. It forms a connection—one that must be nurtured, certainly, but a starting point nonetheless.

 

If you’re thinking this sounds like added work for the communications team, you’re probably right. Conversely, though, it’s a force multiplier: you’ve extended your staff from one or two PR people to a potentially unlimited team (that also works for free). Worth a little extra effort, I’d say.

 

As for me, I’m happy to endorse friends, tout projects, and tweet about nonprofit causes on your behalf. But—and here’s the key to most brand advocacy—you’ll have to ask. I’ve got a lot on my to-do list these days, and need a gentle nudge. Except when it comes to Aggie football, of course. Have I mentioned Johnny Manziel should win the Heisman?

Another angle on school PR

This past Saturday, the Texas A&M football team unexpectedly beat #1 Alabama, the program that was widely expected to win this year’s national championship. The Aggies went into the game as a 13½ point underdog and emerged as one of the most talked-about teams in the NCAA.

It was a huge win for the university—not just in terms of a great sports moment, but for the institution’s overall brand and visibility on a national level. The game drew a Nielson rating of 6.6 overall and a peak of 9.8 during the last 15 minutes of the close game. In plain English, this means nearly 10% of the total 114.2 million television-equipped households in the United States were tuned in. Not 11.4 million people—11.4 million households.  

This kind of an audience obviously gives Texas A&M amazing publicity. According to a recent article in the Texas A&M student newspaper, The Battalion, “the media coverage surrounding the A&M-Florida football game [in early September] generated an estimated $6.5 million in exposure.” And that was before the football team had played a single game.

So what does football have to do with academics?

 “We’re very unique in higher education in that we have a consistent identity between athletics and the University,” said Jason Cook, Texas A&M’s vice president for marketing and communications. “So the same logo that’s seen on the side of the football helmets, seen by an average of 4.5 million people on a national SEC broadcast, is also used by the University. It’s used by every college and division on our campus. Brand consistency is where you have the greatest impact.”

This consistency has been in place since 1999, when the university launched its Vision 2020 “institutional evolution,” a strategic and comprehensive plan that maps out administrative priorities. Brand and marketing are embedded in all aspects as part of the plan’s “culture of excellence.”

But, admits Cook, moving to the nation’s most visible athletic conference sure didn’t hurt.

“For too long, Texas A&M has been seen as a regional institution within the state of Texas,” he said in an interview in July. “I think a lot of that is because of our athletic conference affiliation, whether it was in the [Southwest Conference] or even the Big 12, which is concentrated in a thin sliver in the center of the United States.”  

In 2011, the Aggies’ previous conference, the Big 12 (which they left to much controversy last year), averaged only 2,347,000 viewers per college football broadcast. The SEC conference averaged about 4,447,000 viewers. That’s an extra 2 million viewers every week—and that’s JUST for football.

 

"It's interesting that [as] part of our deliberations in the conference move, we never did talk about what our football record was going to be in 2012," Cook said. "This was truly a brand move for Texas A&M. Just like the University of Texas wants the Longhorn Network to expand their brand, we believe that the move to the SEC provides the opportunity to expand the Texas A&M brand on a national level."

Or as “Gig ‘Em Nation,” the Aggies’ official ESPN blog, put it: “The Aggies hope to use the national platform that the SEC provides to educate the nation on their university. From its academics, to research, to athletics and its fan base, Texas A&M is looking to show the country what it is all about.”

At least one academic researcher says that the athletic brand does translate into academic growth. In his paper, The Benefits of College Athletic Success: An Application of the Propensity Score Design with Instrumental Variables (mentioned in a 2012 Freakonomics blog), Michael L. Anderson says:

For FBS [Division I Football Bowl Subdivision] schools, winning football games increases alumni athletic donations, enhances a school’s academic reputation, increases the number of applicants and in-state students, reduces acceptance rates, and raises average incoming SAT scores.

The estimates imply that large increases in team performance can have economically significant effects, particularly in the area of athletic donations. Consider a school that improves its season wins by 5 games (the approximate difference between a 25th percentile season and a 75th percentile season). Changes of this magnitude occur approximately 8% of the time over a one-year period and 13% of the time over a two-year period. This school may expect alumni athletic donations to increase by $682,000 (28%), applications to increase by 677 (5%), the acceptance rate to drop by 1.5 percentage points (2%), in-state enrollment to increase by 76 students (3%), and incoming 25th percentile SAT scores to increase by 9 points (1%). These estimates are equal to or larger than comparable estimates from the existing literature.

I’m not sure how the Aggies going from 7-6 last year to a projected 10-2 this year raises incoming SAT scores, but I’ll take the other benefits any day.

Oh, and by the way, the money’s not bad, either. Cook says that “since Texas A&M announced its move to the SEC, licensing revenues have increased by 27 percent, compared to an average growth of 7 percent by our peer institutions.” Add to that the extra $3.4 million in conference revenue sharing,  the increased alumni donations, sponsorship deals, ticket sales and other income, and you’ve got a brand strategy with impressive ROI—not to mention a lot of very happy fans.