ESPN has teamed up with the new SEC Network to launch a campaign geared towards combating cable providers that are restricting fans from watching college athletics at home.
The SEC Network will stream SEC games around the clock and make them available for viewers at their convenience. In order to do so, the network must first prove that it can gain widespread support, particularly from students, to petition the cable provider’s right to stop broadcasting those games.
USC students presented various ways to engage student fans, including social media campaigns, banner ads and a series of photography and video challenges.
“Our goal is to bring community to the SEC network and its fan base,” international business graduate student Sydney Stevens said.
The photography challenge is aimed for kick-off in early March and will feature bi-monthly themes. Winners of the challenge will receive a trip for two to the SEC Football Championship game in Atlanta.
“You’ll have one photo for each university, and each week fans will vote for their favorite photo until there is only one left,” Stevens said. “The No. 1 goal of the campaign is to bring awareness of this goal.”
Marketing strategies were in full swing as students presented why that campaign was fit to run and would be a step in the right direction for the SEC Network.
“This was a great opportunity for ESPN to hear from students and to generate new ideas,” said Katherine Boidy, associate director for brand marketing of the ESPN network. “I think they did a great job with the urgency messages and really giving students a reason to sign up [for the network].”
The network is set to launch on Aug. 21, and with six months to campaign and market, students presented ways the network could play around with longevity.
“Social media is a big influence,” Stevens said. “It’s all about bringing community to the SEC network and its fan base.”
The network hopes to launch a more interactive website that will serve as a center of both the SEC community and web advertising strategies.