UCF Athletics
Poster, mailer, schedule card, ticket book, billboard
The Bubble Buster
UCF Athletics sought Massey Communications to help create a richer sporting fan base for the nation’s second largest university. Since its establishment in 1963, the University of Central Florida has grown rapidly in size and in popularity. The Knights have a C-USA football team made up of star players and alumni, including Kevin Smith and Daunte Culpepper. The UCF men’s basketball team posted key victories over Florida, Miami and South Florida, and also has two All-Conference USA players, Keith Clanton and Marcus Jordan. With the university boasting 48,000 students in 2011, the UCF Athletics Department decided to seize the ever-growing opportunity to instill a greater sense of community pride and spark a black and gold legacy for the UCF Knights sports teams.
The Thought Bubble
We helped UCF Athletics implement the “UKNIGHT and Get the Patch” campaign, an initiative the UCF Athletics team conceptualized in early 2011.
The campaign urged students, alumni and the Central Florida community to support their UCF sports team by purchasing “The Patch,” a UCF logo worn on football players’ uniforms, with their game day tickets. However, this patch was multifunctional. Not only did it come on a lanyard to be worn around the neck to show team pride, but it is also offered exclusive discounts and deals to purchasers at select UCF-supporting retailers.
In addition, we helped UCF Athletics put on Patch Parties led by the Patch Patrol, a team of energetic UCF Athletics team members who inform local organizations of upcoming UCF games. Promoting at multiple locations around town throughout the year, from Kiwanis and Rotary Clubs to student-led organizations, student housing and even local businesses, we made sure the Patch Patrol left no stone unturned in its venture to instill UCF pride in the Central Florida community.
UCF Athletics led this campaign for the entire school year, keeping the “UKNIGHT and Get the Patch” brand consistent throughout each sports season.
Best-selling events included the “Champions UKNIGHT” season home opener and the “UKNIGHT in Pink” football game on October 8th, when UCF fans came together to support their team and Breast Cancer Awareness Month. All events were promoted via brand-consistent collateral per sport.
Making it Pop
UCF Athletics saw more fans at their games and, as a result, a dramatic increase in ticket sales for campus-based sporting events. Most importantly, the UCF Knights have become that of legend. Central Florida locals and UCF alumni carry a greater sense of pride for their hometown teams and see increasing recognition from other sports fans.