Erin Allett
Though this phenomenon is not unique to our entertainment-rich and culturally-diverse major-market Seattle campus, programs
across the nation are frustrated and scratching their heads.
Where are the students? As administrators and staff, we can only guess at what is going on inside current and prospective students' heads. But there's absolutely no guessing that their behaviors now as students will impact their
ticket purchase decisions as alumni. At a university where nearly 75% of alumni stay in the state of Washington after graduation, the implications of student attendance and ticket purchase behavior of current and prospective students are of particular importance.
Not only do students impact the bottom line - now and in the future - but they also have an undeniable influence on our teams' competitive advantage while competing at home against one of the most athletic pools of student-athletes in the nation.
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| Per usual, Coach Romar says it best. |
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There's a core group of students that care. How to best reach and engage them?!
Even they know that they can improve. |
"The Best Four Years of My Life..."
One of the biggest questions I
grappled with during 2012-13 when it came to attendance and support of
primarily our Olympic sports (or let's call it all of our sports except
for Football) was:
What
role does involvement with Husky Athletics play in a student's overall
UW experience and how can we influence students' experience?
A different breed, a different consumer...
Having
information and
data from UW students - the Dawg Pack - about their perceptions and
awareness of Husky Athletics will allow our
department to make more strategic and well-informed decisions as they
related to student incentives, ticket pricing, and positioning of our
programs. Today's students, and those in high school, think and behave
differently than even those that graduated in the class of 2011 (more on
that later).
What are students into?
What entertainment options are competing with
their time and money?
What do they like about our events?
What don't
they like about our events?
Do they know about our events?
Do they know
that Husky Volleyball makes an NCAA tournament run each year?
Do they
care? What else is competing for their attention? How do we get and
maintain their attention?
A New Approach...
Heading into the 2013-14
academic year, engaging the Dawg Pack (UW students) was a high
priority.
To address
staffing and workload concerns of both our student interns
and Marketing Assistants, I altered the
structure of our Student Internship Program to include three areas of focus:
- Game Production = Game Day Interns
- Campus Grassroots Marketing = Husky Street Team Interns
- Dawg Pack Experience = Dawg Pack Advisory Committee
I founded the "Husky Street Team" - a team dedicated to
promoting Husky Athletic events to UW students to increase awareness of,
excitement about, and attendance at Husky Athletic events. The 2013-14
Husky Street Team is a comprised of five of the most eager, passionate
students. The team is organized by one lead Game Day Intern and are
overseen by me, the Assistant Director of Game Day Experience.
The
Dawg Pack Advisory Committee - anchored by the
Associated Students of the University of Washington (ASUW) leadership and
Board of Directors - was already in existence (established to promote
communication between Athletics administration and the Dawg Pack during
stadium construction). In 2013-14, select internship interviewees were chosen to serve on the Committee alongside ASUW members, marking the first time that this
committee was part of our UW Marketing & Game Day Experience
Internship Program.
After
hitting the classrooms last spring to recruit our bomb 2013-14 intern
class at Foster School undergraduate Marketing courses, one question burned in my mind long after I left Pacaar Hall.
How can this target group of top-notch students help to lift the load and uncover answers of the questions above?
I
knew their answers could begin to provide the valuable insight and
information for our department so critically needs more strategic and
well-informed (read: efficient and effective) decisions related to
Dawg Pack policies, procedures, and promotions?
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| Click image to visit GoHuskies.com Dawg Pack page |
Following a
MKT 301 course, I established a connection in Marty Matthews, a
Marketing instructor extraordinaire and a favorite among Foster
Marketing majors. Marty will be teaching a MKT 460 - Research Methods
course this academic year. We plan to stay in touch and to connect after
the New Year on a student-run research project to analyze the
perceptions and awareness UW students have of Husky Athletic events.
Until
then, the question continues to drive me crazy, drive me toward
answers, and drive my passion each day to learn more about the unique
needs, wants, interests, and experiences of UW students.
Erin Allett
Assistant Director of Game Day Experience
Husky Athletics
