Marketing & Fan Engagement Failures

[damram]

I got in for $5 as a senior citizen.

[CaptainRon]

It's almost like our team is so lame that marketing doesn't want to draw any attention to it.

Maybe they are saving up the Marketing money to help fund the new coach?

[Taylor Swift]

Replays and $5 beers at the Bryant game.

On their campus!? They only became D1 the last decade + or so?! EmBARONssing.

[phipsiGD'11]

Hoping for engaged students selling out the student section for every game (or even most games) in an average year is a pipe dream. Winning will absolutely help that, but I swear that the University purposely makes campus uninviting for students to do anything besides go to class and back to the dorms.
If you are a 2nd semester freshman living on campus, where are you going on a Wednesday night in February to hang out with friends? Memorial union has two pool tables. Half of our dorms do not have "lounge" areas. It's URI so you know there's not a couple thousand kids in the library. It is almost impressive that our marketing is so bad that we can't figure out a way to get kids on campus to go to a weekday game.
And if you want anyone from DTL to come to campus for a weekday game, good luck. Even a weekend game seems to be a challenge unless we have a borderline top 25 team.
Blue Man's buses from DTL bars would be a great idea, if the University or town actually embraced having a large student population. The University basically ignores that a large percentage of their students live DTL, and Narragansett LOATHES the fact that students live their. To embrace these students would literally cause people to have aneurisms. Game Day Bus route that goes through New and Old eastward with school buses? Absolutely will never happen.
I have zero solutions because I have come to believe we are forever stuck in purgatory. The University is OK with being mediocre in every way possible.

[theblueram]

Round the world parties? Those were fun. The pub was fantastic, but you missed out on that. Every campus should have a pub.

[bigappleram]

The football program just put out a great interactive slide presentation selling the program and school. Their fan engagement and social content is still very strong while for basketball we flounder. Of note in the presentation was a couple different options for Meade Stadium improvements.

[bigappleram]

[rhodyrudder]

That presentation is amazing!!!

[bigappleram]

That presentation is amazing!!!

Agreed. Wow marketing might actually, like, work.

[RhowdyRam02]

We've been talking about Meade specifically in the URI athletics portion of the forum if anyone wants to join in.

[Taylor Swift]

Hoping for engaged students selling out the student section for every game (or even most games) in an average year is a pipe dream. Winning will absolutely help that, but I swear that the University purposely makes campus uninviting for students to do anything besides go to class and back to the dorms.
If you are a 2nd semester freshman living on campus, where are you going on a Wednesday night in February to hang out with friends? Memorial union has two pool tables. Half of our dorms do not have "lounge" areas. It's URI so you know there's not a couple thousand kids in the library. It is almost impressive that our marketing is so bad that we can't figure out a way to get kids on campus to go to a weekday game.
And if you want anyone from DTL to come to campus for a weekday game, good luck. Even a weekend game seems to be a challenge unless we have a borderline top 25 team.
Blue Man's buses from DTL bars would be a great idea, if the University or town actually embraced having a large student population. The University basically ignores that a large percentage of their students live DTL, and Narragansett LOATHES the fact that students live their. To embrace these students would literally cause people to have aneurisms. Game Day Bus route that goes through New and Old eastward with school buses? Absolutely will never happen.
I have zero solutions because I have come to believe we are forever stuck in purgatory. The University is OK with being mediocre in every way possible.

I live in Narragansett and I don't mind the students - I absolutely *LOATHE* the tourists (tourons).

You are correct though, my jr and sr year living down in Scarborough, I hardly went to any weeknight game. We had Tuesday night at Casey's, Wednesday night at Black Point, Thursday night at Bon Vue, and Friday nights were house parties or Chuck's.

The union is a complete joke. The Ram's Den has always had odd hours, I don't mind pool, but it's not necessarily a socialization spot. The building itself is fine but I think the kids deserve better than a sitting area with terrible fluorescent lighting.

The bus is a fantastic idea. When I watched the PC/Nova game last week it was quite telling how the students were not just into the game when the camera was on there. Everyone was dancing in their seats enjoying some Trulys. That's really a fun time for sure.

[Taylor Swift]

That presentation is amazing!!!

Agreed. Wow marketing might actually, like, work.

Are we a football school now? I wouldn't mind. I love going to games at Meade. I've met Fleming a few times in person as well as his son. They're really good people. I'm happy to see where Jim has taken this team. Hope he finishes his coaching career here.

[rjv]

Was it explained why Senior Night was not the last home game and I missed it

[Rhodymob05]

The marketing department outdid themselves with that football presentation. Now market it!

[Taylor Swift]

The marketing department outdid themselves with that football presentation. Now market it!

It was probably an intern who specifically works for the football program?

[Taylor Swift]

I don’t know how to attach images here, if someone can help me let me know ….


I was in the area of campus a little while ago for business purposes . I looped around and saw that at at the corner of Upper College by the President’s house there was a rinky dink sandwich board style easel advertising the women’s game tonight. It even looks like it was pasted to foam poster board. Marketing basketball is an epic joke.

Marketing AD: “hey who wants to do some arts & crafts today!”

[Rhodymob05]

The last good event was 2018 at Mohegan Sun (Cox first season as HC) before the West Virginia game. It was actually great. Nothing since then that I can remember.

And yes those signs suck.

[Taylor Swift]

The last good event was 2018 at Mohegan Sun (Cox first season as HC) before the West Virginia game. It was actually great. Nothing since then that I can remember.

And yes those signs suck.

LOL so this speaks volumes since I also concur that was the last meaningful event. People dogged Danny on not having more fan shows or speaking engagements -- we legit have nothing! Covid restrictions have clearly been lifted. What's the dilly?

I was looking in my cabinents for a glass for my cold brew earlier and saw one of my "Rhody Runs on Dunkin" cups they gave out at games. I have more than enough cups, but why aren't there even these giveaways at games? There are only 1,000 people there -- swag isn't going to break the bank!

[SGreenwell]

I don’t know how to attach images here, if someone can help me let me know ….

Image uploads aren't allowed to the board server itself, so it just needs to be uploaded off the site. I'd recommend Imgur, because it's relatively simple, but any publicly available site should work, if you have your own Wordpress or web site to upload it to.

[Billyboy78]

The women's team has a promotional video out. Where's the men's?

[PeteRI]

Damn that's impressive. Great job!

[Blue Man]

The women's team has a promotional video out. Where's the men's?

We don't have an "atmosphere" clip to put in there with a large, enthusiastic crowd in the background.

[CamsRams]

[Jdrums#3]

Let’s goooooo!

[PeteRI]

Thank you Archie! May I have another?!

[reef]

Arch has the whole program and fan base ready to run through a brick wall for him and I absolutely love it !!

[the_one_mike]

I know I’ve been scolded for it in the past, but I think URI is stupid for not playing a neutral-ish game every season at the Dunk.

I would do it when the students are on break, against a team that wouldn’t normally draw very well. Hell pack up the court from the RC and bring it up.

And as a school, I would give away thousands of tickets to central and northern RI school kids… get their asses in the seats, show them how fun URI basketball can be, and hope maybe they become fans who travel to the RC because it was such a good experience.

Seriously, what is there to lose? It’s not about PC. It’s not about the Dunk. It’s about playing in an area of the state where people could very easily be attend and maybe grow their fandom.

I’ve felt for a long-time that’s a major lost opportunity for URI. But I know most of you feel different.

This is a win on all fronts. Also a way for URI to potentially draw buy games from larger programs. A pseudo-home game for us and a neutral game for them. We have been using Mohegan Sun as a venue for this with some success, but I think pursuing something similar at the Dunk would be a great idea as well, if for nothing else a chance to draw in some younger fans in the city…

[the_one_mike]

I know PC will always be the top team in our state in the minds of the fans and the media. I'm not sure the gap has ever been this wide.

This post made me physically cringe. This mentality is a huge reason why our program can’t get over the hump.

[Rhody74]

I know I’ve been scolded for it in the past, but I think URI is stupid for not playing a neutral-ish game every season at the Dunk.

I would do it when the students are on break, against a team that wouldn’t normally draw very well. Hell pack up the court from the RC and bring it up.

And as a school, I would give away thousands of tickets to central and northern RI school kids… get their asses in the seats, show them how fun URI basketball can be, and hope maybe they become fans who travel to the RC because it was such a good experience.

Seriously, what is there to lose? It’s not about PC. It’s not about the Dunk. It’s about playing in an area of the state where people could very easily be attend and maybe grow their fandom.

I’ve felt for a long-time that’s a major lost opportunity for URI. But I know most of you feel different.

This is a win on all fronts. Also a way for URI to potentially draw buy games from larger programs. A pseudo-home game for us and a neutral game for them. We have been using Mohegan Sun as a venue for this with some success, but I think pursuing something similar at the Dunk would be a great idea as well, if for nothing else a chance to draw in some younger fans in the city…

Not a fan of casinos but the arena at Mohegan Sun is far superior to the Dump for basketball.

[the_one_mike]

The reality is, though:
1. It’s a larger venue central to the largest population center in the state
2. Alcohol is served there
3. It is in-state, drawing local crowd

All reasons you could draw people that would normally not make a URI game. That’s just a few of them…

The material benefits vastly outweigh the argument calling it the “dump,” as much as people may not like the venue for whatever reason.

[SGreenwell]

I know PC will always be the top team in our state in the minds of the fans and the media. I'm not sure the gap has ever been this wide.

This post made me physically cringe. This mentality is a huge reason why our program can’t get over the hump.

I think it's more than "mentality." Like, if I'm thinking of reasons why a conference like the ACC or Big East would want to add URI... I think we would have to be a consistent NCAA team for 5 to 10 years, and more likely, be a consistent Top 25 team, too. Our current streak for both is zero seasons. Short of that, we would need to dump $100M or so into becoming a proper D-I football school; or, spend a similar amount on a mega-arena; or, if the Rhode Island metro area suddenly got an influx of 5 million people, that made it more akin to a Boston.

Talk of "let's improve the baseball team!" and other ideas is nice on the margins, but as others have said, it's revenue that is driving these decisions. URI isn't generating revenue for a new conference, unless we went down in conferences for some reason. I think the A-10 is probably the best conference we can do right now, without major investments AND success from those investments. (Ask UMass how well it works when you just burn money on football with zero results.)

[Brian Forster]

Nationally-URI is more recognized because State U and a good football team.
Schools with no football have little national identity. It's only going to get worse for non FB schools.
Q.What type of school doesn't have a football team?
A. the type of school that does not have a baseball team!

[the_one_mike]

I think it's more than "mentality." Like, if I'm thinking of reasons why a conference like the ACC or Big East would want to add URI... I think we would have to be a consistent NCAA team for 5 to 10 years, and more likely, be a consistent Top 25 team, too. Our current streak for both is zero seasons. Short of that, we would need to dump $100M or so into becoming a proper D-I football school; or, spend a similar amount on a mega-arena; or, if the Rhode Island metro area suddenly got an influx of 5 million people, that made it more akin to a Boston.

Talk of "let's improve the baseball team!" and other ideas is nice on the margins, but as others have said, it's revenue that is driving these decisions. URI isn't generating revenue for a new conference, unless we went down in conferences for some reason. I think the A-10 is probably the best conference we can do right now, without major investments AND success from those investments. (Ask UMass how well it works when you just burn money on football with zero results.)

I both agree and disagree. Yes, performance is going to be the key if there were opportunities to move on.

But there also needs to be a a certain level of excellence that we demand if we expect to get there. We need to be realistic, yes, but the last decade of history doesn’t agree with that statement.

PC was great this year. Realistically, that is a result of having a team of 25 year olds due to an extra Covid year. Not to minimize their success… but that extra year undoubtedly made a massive difference solidifying that rotation.

PC has made more appearances in the last decade but until this years run, they had no wins in the tournament. We had two. You can credit the better league to the extra appearances they have, undoubtedly. The level of talent and overall performance has been very comparable throughout… so mentality absolutely is a factor here.

More on topic to this thread, though - let’s compare some advantages PC has marketing and engagement that would warrant that type of comment but CAN BE FIXED IF PEOPLE DEMAND IT!

Game day experience:
1. Beer at your seat in game
2. Concessions
3. WiFi
4. Instant replay
5. Band is way better (ours is literally embarrassing)
6. Their stadium DJ is light years ahead of ours. We are still playing decade old songs. Cringe. This also includes the PA and stadium lighting. PC puts on a pro grade production. Ours feels high school AV class set it up
7. PC offers significantly better merch for both sale and giveaways
8. Stadium entry and management/security process is way better
9. Students are excited to go to games as a result of the above and it shows
10. What the hell with the cutouts our student section gets? Seriously? What is the context of any of them? The entire purpose of cutouts in the student section is to display a degree of wit or some connection to our team or the competitor as a distraction. We just print off any random cartoon character or celeb and debut it like they did something worthwhile. The entire purpose and idea is entirely voided. So stupid. Burn those things and save the good ones. This, to me, is one of the biggest displays that the marketing department is filled with cookie cutter corporate marketing people and not basketball fans. Big pet peeve. RoadyJay, your signs are missed

Now for marketing and materials:
1. Uniforms. PC kills this consistently. Ours usually suck
2. Branding. Friar is unique and weird, making it memorable. Their graphics are well done and modern. Our new stuff looks like clip art and provides little to no distinguishing features as one of many Rams programs in the NCAA, and one of three in our OWN LEAGUE
3. Fan engagement. Having a pregame viewing party at a brewery 20 mins from the Ryan is stupid and inconvenient. Build a god damn permanent bar up on the second level terrace below the scoreboard. Ton of dead unused space to make it happen and it could incorporate the trophy box at the end of the concourse. Bet ya most fans couldn’t even tell you where the trophies are displayed if you asked! Revenue would pay back the investment many times over
4. Marketing emails are formatted poorly and graphics contained are usually childish looking. They remind me of the pictures players put on their instagram when they commit to a school. Maybe it’s the players who are influencing this… but we are not marketing to players. We are marketing to alumni and fans. Sign up for Duke’s MBB mailing list and compare how clean and professional it is in comparison to ours. That is not about budget. It’s about finding a good graphic design firm, not the most convenient for a deadline
5. It seems we still dedicate a good portion of ad spend on FM radio. Like, really? I consistently receive more targeted marketing about PC basketball on social media and other sources. Don’t recall ever seeing URI basketball through that channel
6. FloSports. Enough said

There’s a ton more. I can keep going. So, yeah, I understand why one would say that… but in terms of basketball, it’s not true. If we stop letting this garbage slide and demand better, there is virtually no separation outside of our league.

We have to demand better. That is mentality.

[ElmCityRhody]

I LOVE LOVE LOVE THE ABOVE POST

as for the bar - I have been saying for years to build a bar and viewing area in the dead corner space by scoreboard

Then you add Fenway wall type seating but I make it standing below the walksoce to cover up the wall w fans

It’s that easy and it would be a unique experience and seating area

[the_one_mike]

I LOVE LOVE LOVE THE ABOVE POST

as for the bar - I have been saying for years to build a bar and viewing area in the dead corner space by scoreboard

Then you add Fenway wall type seating but I make it standing below the walksoce to cover up the wall w fans

It’s that easy and it would be a unique experience and seating area

Many, many things can and should be done with that space. If for nothing else, to draw more attention to the fact we have trophies, have a winning program and should act like it. And because everyone knows the end zone bars absolutely suck.

Make a permanent bar and free that end zone space up… and wow, maybe even renovate to add a small little local restaurant in their place. I’m sure a restauranteur would be happy to foot the bill to put in some scaled down “express” version of their restaurant. The Mews comes to mind. If they could sling some good beers and a small menu at stadium prices, they’d be absolutely murdering it even if a big chunk went to the Ryan/university.

Imagine you could sit down for a decent bite… actually in the stadium? It’s not that far fetched. That whole end of the stadium concourse could be turned into a heritage/entertainment area, of sorts. That would also draw people in before games, it’s no secret a chronic issue our crowds have is showing up late. But why show up early? To get stuck in line for 40 minutes? Give people a reason better than a stupid bobble head that will end up in a landfill and they probably would, though.

All it takes is a little bit of creativity and the desire on the part of the people who can make it happen. I’m not entirely sure if the reason for that dead space is due to code? But even something like that can be defeated if there is the desire to do so. The reality is that Kingston is not an exceedingly fun place to be if you aren’t a student. As a result, there are opportunities for the Ryan to offer some amenities.

At the bare minimum, someone needs to get real in local politics and push to allow a bar at the Emporium. Kingston leaves so much money on the table for their local businesses by not allowing alcohol service. Have the hill climb shuttle buses run back and forth from the Emporium during games and drop off at the front gate of the Ryan. Boom, you’ve not only made people happy, you also helped the local economy.

[ElmCityRhody]

I am on the same page as you

I brought up “mews” type of place w all Rhody memorabilia and decor years ago also

Imagine partying there and pregaming at the game

Slam dunk

[KingstonLane]

I know PC will always be the top team in our state in the minds of the fans and the media. I'm not sure the gap has ever been this wide.

This post made me physically cringe. This mentality is a huge reason why our program can’t get over the hump.

Unfortunately that mentality is a reality, unless URI as a school and program make changes to influence it. You’ve shared some great ideas across your posts above, and it’s clear you’re thinking about this the right way.

Now I don’t know if it’s complacency, stubbornness, or just the wrong people in charge - but none of the necessary steps to make progress have happened anytime lately. There’s a lot of small, meaningful steps that could be taken in short order. Hopefully Archie inspires that direction.

[Rhodymob05]

The gap was much bigger about 10 years ago. Its closed since then.

[Brian Forster]

The gap was much bigger about 10 years ago. Its closed since then.
Amen-URI because of FB has much more of a national identity.
Others have brought it up,board members don't even go to the games,donate or have season tix and they are worried about URI's perception or fan base?

[RhowdyRam02]

Nationally-URI is more recognized because State U and a good football team.
Schools with no football have little national identity. It's only going to get worse for non FB schools.
Q.What type of school doesn't have a football team?
A. the type of school that does not have a baseball team!

Yes, we're nationally recognized for our football program. We might need alcohol and drug testing for this board, things have gone off the rails

[RhowdyRam02]

I think it's more than "mentality." Like, if I'm thinking of reasons why a conference like the ACC or Big East would want to add URI... I think we would have to be a consistent NCAA team for 5 to 10 years, and more likely, be a consistent Top 25 team, too. Our current streak for both is zero seasons. Short of that, we would need to dump $100M or so into becoming a proper D-I football school; or, spend a similar amount on a mega-arena; or, if the Rhode Island metro area suddenly got an influx of 5 million people, that made it more akin to a Boston.

Talk of "let's improve the baseball team!" and other ideas is nice on the margins, but as others have said, it's revenue that is driving these decisions. URI isn't generating revenue for a new conference, unless we went down in conferences for some reason. I think the A-10 is probably the best conference we can do right now, without major investments AND success from those investments. (Ask UMass how well it works when you just burn money on football with zero results.)

I both agree and disagree. Yes, performance is going to be the key if there were opportunities to move on.

But there also needs to be a a certain level of excellence that we demand if we expect to get there. We need to be realistic, yes, but the last decade of history doesn’t agree with that statement.

PC was great this year. Realistically, that is a result of having a team of 25 year olds due to an extra Covid year. Not to minimize their success… but that extra year undoubtedly made a massive difference solidifying that rotation.

PC has made more appearances in the last decade but until this years run, they had no wins in the tournament. We had two. You can credit the better league to the extra appearances they have, undoubtedly. The level of talent and overall performance has been very comparable throughout… so mentality absolutely is a factor here.

More on topic to this thread, though - let’s compare some advantages PC has marketing and engagement that would warrant that type of comment but CAN BE FIXED IF PEOPLE DEMAND IT!

Game day experience:
1. Beer at your seat in game
2. Concessions
3. WiFi
4. Instant replay
5. Band is way better (ours is literally embarrassing)
6. Their stadium DJ is light years ahead of ours. We are still playing decade old songs. Cringe. This also includes the PA and stadium lighting. PC puts on a pro grade production. Ours feels high school AV class set it up
7. PC offers significantly better merch for both sale and giveaways
8. Stadium entry and management/security process is way better
9. Students are excited to go to games as a result of the above and it shows
10. What the hell with the cutouts our student section gets? Seriously? What is the context of any of them? The entire purpose of cutouts in the student section is to display a degree of wit or some connection to our team or the competitor as a distraction. We just print off any random cartoon character or celeb and debut it like they did something worthwhile. The entire purpose and idea is entirely voided. So stupid. Burn those things and save the good ones. This, to me, is one of the biggest displays that the marketing department is filled with cookie cutter corporate marketing people and not basketball fans. Big pet peeve. RoadyJay, your signs are missed

Now for marketing and materials:
1. Uniforms. PC kills this consistently. Ours usually suck
2. Branding. Friar is unique and weird, making it memorable. Their graphics are well done and modern. Our new stuff looks like clip art and provides little to no distinguishing features as one of many Rams programs in the NCAA, and one of three in our OWN LEAGUE
3. Fan engagement. Having a pregame viewing party at a brewery 20 mins from the Ryan is stupid and inconvenient. Build a god damn permanent bar up on the second level terrace below the scoreboard. Ton of dead unused space to make it happen and it could incorporate the trophy box at the end of the concourse. Bet ya most fans couldn’t even tell you where the trophies are displayed if you asked! Revenue would pay back the investment many times over
4. Marketing emails are formatted poorly and graphics contained are usually childish looking. They remind me of the pictures players put on their instagram when they commit to a school. Maybe it’s the players who are influencing this… but we are not marketing to players. We are marketing to alumni and fans. Sign up for Duke’s MBB mailing list and compare how clean and professional it is in comparison to ours. That is not about budget. It’s about finding a good graphic design firm, not the most convenient for a deadline
5. It seems we still dedicate a good portion of ad spend on FM radio. Like, really? I consistently receive more targeted marketing about PC basketball on social media and other sources. Don’t recall ever seeing URI basketball through that channel
6. FloSports. Enough said

There’s a ton more. I can keep going. So, yeah, I understand why one would say that… but in terms of basketball, it’s not true. If we stop letting this garbage slide and demand better, there is virtually no separation outside of our league.

We have to demand better. That is mentality.

Sorry, too long, didn't read. Completely zoned out after point 6 on game day experience. Cringe that we play ten year old songs, we should have a DJ more like PC's who is known for playing a 14 year old song...

[Rhodymob05]

I don't have enough time to dig into everything from the_one_mike 's post, but #5 is sticking out to me. The band is BAD.

[rjsuperfly66]

I think it's more than "mentality." Like, if I'm thinking of reasons why a conference like the ACC or Big East would want to add URI... I think we would have to be a consistent NCAA team for 5 to 10 years, and more likely, be a consistent Top 25 team, too. Our current streak for both is zero seasons. Short of that, we would need to dump $100M or so into becoming a proper D-I football school; or, spend a similar amount on a mega-arena; or, if the Rhode Island metro area suddenly got an influx of 5 million people, that made it more akin to a Boston.

Talk of "let's improve the baseball team!" and other ideas is nice on the margins, but as others have said, it's revenue that is driving these decisions. URI isn't generating revenue for a new conference, unless we went down in conferences for some reason. I think the A-10 is probably the best conference we can do right now, without major investments AND success from those investments. (Ask UMass how well it works when you just burn money on football with zero results.)

I both agree and disagree. Yes, performance is going to be the key if there were opportunities to move on.

But there also needs to be a a certain level of excellence that we demand if we expect to get there. We need to be realistic, yes, but the last decade of history doesn’t agree with that statement.

PC was great this year. Realistically, that is a result of having a team of 25 year olds due to an extra Covid year. Not to minimize their success… but that extra year undoubtedly made a massive difference solidifying that rotation.

PC has made more appearances in the last decade but until this years run, they had no wins in the tournament. We had two. You can credit the better league to the extra appearances they have, undoubtedly. The level of talent and overall performance has been very comparable throughout… so mentality absolutely is a factor here.

More on topic to this thread, though - let’s compare some advantages PC has marketing and engagement that would warrant that type of comment but CAN BE FIXED IF PEOPLE DEMAND IT!

Game day experience:
1. Beer at your seat in game
2. Concessions
3. WiFi
4. Instant replay
5. Band is way better (ours is literally embarrassing)
6. Their stadium DJ is light years ahead of ours. We are still playing decade old songs. Cringe. This also includes the PA and stadium lighting. PC puts on a pro grade production. Ours feels high school AV class set it up
7. PC offers significantly better merch for both sale and giveaways
8. Stadium entry and management/security process is way better
9. Students are excited to go to games as a result of the above and it shows
10. What the hell with the cutouts our student section gets? Seriously? What is the context of any of them? The entire purpose of cutouts in the student section is to display a degree of wit or some connection to our team or the competitor as a distraction. We just print off any random cartoon character or celeb and debut it like they did something worthwhile. The entire purpose and idea is entirely voided. So stupid. Burn those things and save the good ones. This, to me, is one of the biggest displays that the marketing department is filled with cookie cutter corporate marketing people and not basketball fans. Big pet peeve. RoadyJay, your signs are missed

Now for marketing and materials:
1. Uniforms. PC kills this consistently. Ours usually suck
2. Branding. Friar is unique and weird, making it memorable. Their graphics are well done and modern. Our new stuff looks like clip art and provides little to no distinguishing features as one of many Rams programs in the NCAA, and one of three in our OWN LEAGUE
3. Fan engagement. Having a pregame viewing party at a brewery 20 mins from the Ryan is stupid and inconvenient. Build a god damn permanent bar up on the second level terrace below the scoreboard. Ton of dead unused space to make it happen and it could incorporate the trophy box at the end of the concourse. Bet ya most fans couldn’t even tell you where the trophies are displayed if you asked! Revenue would pay back the investment many times over
4. Marketing emails are formatted poorly and graphics contained are usually childish looking. They remind me of the pictures players put on their instagram when they commit to a school. Maybe it’s the players who are influencing this… but we are not marketing to players. We are marketing to alumni and fans. Sign up for Duke’s MBB mailing list and compare how clean and professional it is in comparison to ours. That is not about budget. It’s about finding a good graphic design firm, not the most convenient for a deadline
5. It seems we still dedicate a good portion of ad spend on FM radio. Like, really? I consistently receive more targeted marketing about PC basketball on social media and other sources. Don’t recall ever seeing URI basketball through that channel
6. FloSports. Enough said

There’s a ton more. I can keep going. So, yeah, I understand why one would say that… but in terms of basketball, it’s not true. If we stop letting this garbage slide and demand better, there is virtually no separation outside of our league.

We have to demand better. That is mentality.

Sorry, too long, didn't read. Completely zoned out after point 6 on game day experience. Cringe that we play ten year old songs, we should have a DJ more like PC's who is known for playing a 14 year old song...

The best part is it wasn't even his idea... a group of students who are Taylor Swift fans asked if he could play it and thought it would catch on. The rest is history and it caught on nationally. Age of song shouldn't matter - it's all about the engagement, and that was a unique win. To me some of the best arena songs are 15-20 years old.

[the_one_mike]

Sorry, too long, didn't read. Completely zoned out after point 6 on game day experience. Cringe that we play ten year old songs, we should have a DJ more like PC's who is known for playing a 14 year old song...

The DJ at the Ryan Center sucks. Bad. Kidz Bop meets Coast 101. Ask a student what they think about it. Oh yeah, it’s so bad they don’t even go, so they wouldn’t know.

The music and experience at the Ryan for MBB gives off this vibe:


The music should be mostly for the student section. Period. They are who we want to keep excited.

Meanwhile, the entire Dunk crowd and student section will sing livin on a prayer or TSwift together during stoppages in a close game because their DJ does a better job, point blank. So I suppose age of the music played isn’t as important as not keeping people engaged… you know, the reason they, like, exist?

Was that short enough?

Guessing the URI DJ must be a personal connection to you, or something?

I don't have enough time to dig into everything from the_one_mike 's post, but #5 is sticking out to me. The band is BAD.

And Dan Hurley agreed with me. He complained about this and in the last two years of his tenure, the student band started to bring in “alumni” members that actually knew how to play instruments.

Meanwhile PC has a dude railing out A1 guitar solos.

One thing that was also done during Hurley era I haven’t seen since was the drumline team coming out during halftime. That was one of the best halftime experiences they’ve ever put on and just let it disappear.

The best part is it wasn't even his idea... a group of students who are Taylor Swift fans asked if he could play it and thought it would catch on. The rest is history and it caught on nationally. Age of song shouldn't matter - it's all about the engagement, and that was a unique win. To me some of the best arena songs are 15-20 years old.

Wait… so you’re saying that the DJ is focusing on the student section at PC. And it worked? Because students drive the energy in the building? And that is legitimately hilarious? But URI fans usually have no sense of humor so they don’t get it? No way.

FWIW, the reason for that isn’t because they are Taylor Swift fans. It’s because gen z are nuts, they lean into irony and the nonsensical, and are fantastic with situational humor. They don’t ACTUALLY want Taylor Swift at games. They made that happen because it’s ridiculous, hilarious, and, thus, engaging. And they were right.

When I talk about attitude… that is what I mean. Everything with us is so serious, meanwhile PC is playing Taylor Swift and actually, you know, standing up during games and having fun.

Meanwhile our fans are still worried about 60-year-old grudges. Yikes. Really does say a lot.

[adam914]

Amen-URI because of FB has much more of a national identity.

This might be the funniest thing I have ever read on here.

[Brian Forster]

This might be the funniest thing I have ever read on here.
Sorry to put you in a bad mood below. Where's your school ? Oh wait,PC does not even have a football team.

https://www.ncaa.com/news/football/arti ... redictions

https://athlonsports.com/college-footba ... op-25-2022

[RhowdyRam02]

Sorry, too long, didn't read. Completely zoned out after point 6 on game day experience. Cringe that we play ten year old songs, we should have a DJ more like PC's who is known for playing a 14 year old song...

The DJ at the Ryan Center sucks. Bad. Kidz Bop meets Coast 101. Ask a student what they think about it. Oh yeah, it’s so bad they don’t even go, so they wouldn’t know.

The music and experience at the Ryan for MBB gives off this vibe:


The music should be mostly for the student section. Period. They are who we want to keep excited.

Meanwhile, the entire Dunk crowd and student section will sing livin on a prayer or TSwift together during stoppages in a close game because their DJ does a better job, point blank. So I suppose age of the music played isn’t as important as not keeping people engaged… you know, the reason they, like, exist?

Was that short enough?

Guessing the URI DJ must be a personal connection to you, or something?

I don't have enough time to dig into everything from the_one_mike 's post, but #5 is sticking out to me. The band is BAD.

And Dan Hurley agreed with me. He complained about this and in the last two years of his tenure, the student band started to bring in “alumni” members that actually knew how to play instruments.

Meanwhile PC has a dude railing out A1 guitar solos.

One thing that was also done during Hurley era I haven’t seen since was the drumline team coming out during halftime. That was one of the best halftime experiences they’ve ever put on and just let it disappear.

The best part is it wasn't even his idea... a group of students who are Taylor Swift fans asked if he could play it and thought it would catch on. The rest is history and it caught on nationally. Age of song shouldn't matter - it's all about the engagement, and that was a unique win. To me some of the best arena songs are 15-20 years old.

Wait… so you’re saying that the DJ is focusing on the student section at PC. And it worked? Because students drive the energy in the building? And that is legitimately hilarious? But URI fans usually have no sense of humor so they don’t get it? No way.

FWIW, the reason for that isn’t because they are Taylor Swift fans. It’s because gen z are nuts, they lean into irony and the nonsensical, and are fantastic with situational humor. They don’t ACTUALLY want Taylor Swift at games. They made that happen because it’s ridiculous, hilarious, and, thus, engaging. And they were right.

When I talk about attitude… that is what I mean. Everything with us is so serious, meanwhile PC is playing Taylor Swift and actually, you know, standing up during games and having fun.

Meanwhile our fans are still worried about 60-year-old grudges. Yikes. Really does say a lot.

You made yet another dumb point in a string of dumb points you've been making this week and I called you on it. You said no song older than 10 years old should be played while comparing us negatively to the PC experience where their biggest national recognition was playing a 14 year old song. Also I'm sure students aren't skipping games because of the music being played.

Outside of that I agree for the most part on the DJ situation. When students aren't on break the music choices need to be geared towards them. Hell, I don't even know if we need an actual DJ, have the Ruckus nominate songs they want to hear and just have whoever controls the PA play those, we don't need someone filling the DJ position. Or have a Ruckus member actually be the guest DJ of the game.

I also don't even think the biggest problem with our game presentation in regards to the students is the DJ. The biggest problem is having a guy in his mid-30's trying to start the chants. Let the students lead the student section

[KeaneyBluBallz]

I LOVE LOVE LOVE THE ABOVE POST

as for the bar - I have been saying for years to build a bar and viewing area in the dead corner space by scoreboard

Then you add Fenway wall type seating but I make it standing below the walksoce to cover up the wall w fans

It’s that easy and it would be a unique experience and seating area

Many, many things can and should be done with that space. If for nothing else, to draw more attention to the fact we have trophies, have a winning program and should act like it. And because everyone knows the end zone bars absolutely suck.

Make a permanent bar and free that end zone space up… and wow, maybe even renovate to add a small little local restaurant in their place. I’m sure a restauranteur would be happy to foot the bill to put in some scaled down “express” version of their restaurant. The Mews comes to mind. If they could sling some good beers and a small menu at stadium prices, they’d be absolutely murdering it even if a big chunk went to the Ryan/university.

Imagine you could sit down for a decent bite… actually in the stadium? It’s not that far fetched. That whole end of the stadium concourse could be turned into a heritage/entertainment area, of sorts. That would also draw people in before games, it’s no secret a chronic issue our crowds have is showing up late. But why show up early? To get stuck in line for 40 minutes? Give people a reason better than a stupid bobble head that will end up in a landfill and they probably would, though.

All it takes is a little bit of creativity and the desire on the part of the people who can make it happen. I’m not entirely sure if the reason for that dead space is due to code? But even something like that can be defeated if there is the desire to do so. The reality is that Kingston is not an exceedingly fun place to be if you aren’t a student. As a result, there are opportunities for the Ryan to offer some amenities.

At the bare minimum, someone needs to get real in local politics and push to allow a bar at the Emporium. Kingston leaves so much money on the table for their local businesses by not allowing alcohol service. Have the hill climb shuttle buses run back and forth from the Emporium during games and drop off at the front gate of the Ryan. Boom, you’ve not only made people happy, you also helped the local economy.

Maybe you can get Tiara Mack to move to SK

[phipsiGD'11]

I actually thought the DJ that was there for the 2019-2020 season was pretty good. I don't remember if he was there for 2018-2019, and haven't been back to a game since March 1, 2020 against St Louis (if I remember correctly), but I remember being impressed that the DJ was actually playing newer stuff rather than the same old BS.

Also, knowing URI, they are probably giving strict guidance on what can be played and how it should be played.

[adam914]

This might be the funniest thing I have ever read on here.
Sorry to put you in a bad mood below. Where's your school ? Oh wait,PC does not even have a football team.

https://www.ncaa.com/news/football/arti ... redictions

https://athlonsports.com/college-footba ... op-25-2022

Yes!! Finally I am being called a PC fan!

I have a degree from URI, donate money to the URI athletic department every year, travel thousands of miles to see URI basketball games, spend an embarrassing amount of time on a URI message board, interned in the URI athletic department...all because PC is my school!