The Alumni

[Ibleedgreen]

It is difficult for alumni to attend Thursday night games. The vast majority do not live in Denton, and they have to go to work early the next day. Also, it is getting harder and harder to drive up from both Dallas and FW because of traffic and construction.

[NM Green]

I want energy, intensity, creativity and I want a lot of it.

There are many things I like about Rick and the AD, but the marketing piece is ridiculous. You reach an age or a tenure where you just don't get as excited as you once did. You burn out and there goes the creativity you arrived with. I want some young creative marketing geniuses that stir the pot. Heck they flip the pot up in the air and then mix up another stew. My longhorn friend said he was surprised we didn't bring more to Austin. I take same longhorn fan to Denton last night and while we had a blast and he loved his cold beer inside the stadium, he sees that experience unfold.

I called the athletic department to inquire about Indiana tickets for the game I am going to in a few weeks. I was hoping for a "Beat La Tech" opening or reminder about the game this week - nothing. Dude couldn't even rattle off the prices for the tickets off the top of his head - again Energy Intensity, consistency. I asked about the Indiana game time which has yet to be announced and crickets. Again what about follow up - Mr. X while I do not have that information handy I am going to contact IU to see what the status is - what number may I reach you back on?" I mean guys this is customer service 101 and we are running that office like its a corporation in the middle of Las Colinas in one of the most challenging competitive environments in the country.

I have not seeing their best effort. I don't receive weekly digests like I do from Univ of Hawaii and every other week from UNLV. A house cleaning is in order and you need relentless enthusiastic aggressive people bugging people all over the metroplex. Thinking of energizing the alum is so incomplete. I am a sports nut and there are others out there waiting to be engaged and invited to a pretty incredible experience off I-35.

I hear a lot of excused in this thread. Have a standard - make it a high standard - ask for ideas and make it happen.

GMG

[ColoradoEagle]

It doesn't take 2+ hours to get from Dallas to Denton. My last semester of school, I had two classes but lived in Richardson for work. Left at 5:30-5:45 every day and made it there by 6:30-6:45. It's also possible to work something out with your boss to come in early and leave early. Or at worst take a half day one day a year.

The traffic excuse is the worst excuse in the book. People find a way to make it to Rangers games. They find a way to make it to Mavericks games, Stars games, Monday Night Cowboys games. It's the laziest of excuses.

[jacksondf]

My wife and I joined the alumni association last year, and I fully expected a phone call or email about season ticket opportunities, etc---not a word. I bought season tickets anyway, but was disappointed that we were missing such an easy marketing opportunity. With this stadium, student body size, and recently competitive team, a good marketing guy could make this thing rock. Beer sales should help.

[GrandGreen]

It doesn't take 2+ hours to get from Dallas to Denton. My last semester of school, I had two classes but lived in Richardson for work. Left at 5:30-5:45 every day and made it there by 6:30-6:45. It's also possible to work something out with your boss to come in early and leave early. Or at worst take a half day one day a year.

The traffic excuse is the worst excuse in the book. People find a way to make it to Rangers games. They find a way to make it to Mavericks games, Stars games, Monday Night Cowboys games. It's the laziest of excuses.

Not to be overly argumentative, but I doubt many people who don't come are giving out excuses. The people citing all the causes of poor attendance are people who care, not the masses who never or seldom go to any NT functions.

[ColoradoEagle]

Well almost 6k less showed up last night. I'd rather hear, "it's not important enough to me to go," than "there's too much traffic." People will be there if they want to be.

[HoustonEagle]

On the subject of emails. I get so many of them I almost consider them a nuisance. If you are not getting emails then you are not in their database or in there incorrectly.

They really want you in the database.

Please take the time to call the MGC. Give them your email and if your feeling frisky maybe a few extra dollars.

They will be appreciative. A real win win.

[oldguystudent]

I definitely get weekly mean grean club emails. I also get letters from the president, updates from the alumni association, tailgate invites from the school of business, and calls to papers on ritual dances of indigenous lesbians of color from past administrators. I'm in that database something fierce.

Edit: And really, once you give UNT a dime via donation, no matter to whom you gift it, every department on campus and their biologically questionable siblings will start calling and writing you requesting that you open your wallet for their particular university cause.

Edited September 13, 2014 by oldguystudent

[MeanGreenZen]

You guys blaming marketing are full of it. I get phone calls, emails and see sponsored posts on social media all the time from the MG athletic department. Those guys do everything short of offering to have Rick V drive to my house himself in a James Wood automobile with two scoops of Beth Marie's ice cream to pick me up and take me to the game.

You want to lower ticket prices? YOU CAN BUY SEASON TICKETS FOR $65!!! Even our music major alums can afford that.

The focus on students has yielded great results. The student section was still full on Thursday until early in the fourth quarter when the game was way out of hand and the exodus to Fry Street began.

You want energy, intensity and creativity from the pimple-faced minimum wage earning sophomore answering the phone for the ticket office? People with that kind of talent don't sit around memorizing ticket prices to road games and waiting for you to call and ask them about it. Did you try maybe calling Indiana directly and asking them about their tickets?

It is not a meteoric rise to the top of the college football world. We started at the bottom not too long ago. Schedule interesting games at convenient times and alums will show up. Give them a good experience and they will come back. Keep doing that over and over and one day we will hit the mythical 30k.

Oh and I forgot to mention, start Dajon Williams at quarterback. Once we do that terrorism will be permanently defeated, Ray Rice will stop beating his wife and cats and dogs will finally reconcile.

[SilverEagle]

I know, but I take the crowd personally. I do. I'm just an intern among many other ones. But I take that personally.

16K is our lowest since, what, MTSU in 2011?

Just curios. Are you a business marketing intern?

[SilverEagle]

No, I work promotions and in game marketing.

Didn't you say you were an intern? That would seem to indicate that you were finishing your degree. If so, in what?

[TIgreen01]

You guys blaming marketing are full of it. I get phone calls, emails and see sponsored posts on social media all the time from the MG athletic department. Those guys do everything short of offering to have Rick V drive to my house himself in a James Wood automobile with two scoops of Beth Marie's ice cream to pick me up and take me to the game.

You want to lower ticket prices? YOU CAN BUY SEASON TICKETS FOR $65!!! Even our music major alums can afford that.

The focus on students has yielded great results. The student section was still full on Thursday until early in the fourth quarter when the game was way out of hand and the exodus to Fry Street began.

You want energy, intensity and creativity from the pimple-faced minimum wage earning sophomore answering the phone for the ticket office? People with that kind of talent don't sit around memorizing ticket prices to road games and waiting for you to call and ask them about it. Did you try maybe calling Indiana directly and asking them about their tickets?

It is not a meteoric rise to the top of the college football world. We started at the bottom not too long ago. Schedule interesting games at convenient times and alums will show up. Give them a good experience and they will come back. Keep doing that over and over and one day we will hit the mythical 30k.

Oh and I forgot to mention, start Dajon Williams at quarterback. Once we do that terrorism will be permanently defeated, Ray Rice will stop beating his wife and cats and dogs will finally reconcile.

This is a good post. The one thing I question is that now that the season is underway, it's time to forget about selling season tickets and start marketing single game and or mini packs. Our ticket selling push appears mostly over, from what I've seen.

Also, I don't care if alums and season ticket holders get upset that cheap tickets can be found should the AD start slashing prices closer to games. I've been a season ticket holder and mgc member since 2001. I give and buy season tickets for the betterment of the program, not to necessarily get the cheapest deal on seats(even though it is a great deal). Judging by the tiny size of our season ticket base, I'd bet most of us feel the same way. It takes money to compete in FBS football. Get people into the stadium, then sell them beer and other concessions.

Edited September 13, 2014 by TIgreen01

[DallasGreen]

I'm sorry but that's just complete BS. Having a degree in music or something artsy has absolutely zero to do with people caring about their school and sports. NT has other colleges/programs that are quite big such as business, engineering so are you meaning to say that the majority of them attend and care? I seriously doubt that...they're no different than music or arts majors. I got my degree in RTVF myself and I'm a diehard that purchases season tickets and supports the teams. I mingled with mostly arts type people during my school days and like everyone else there were those that were apathetic and those that were fans of the team and took initiative in going to games and supporting the team. We just simply need more fans and that takes winning. Just because you have one good season after being if not the worst one of the worst CFB programs in the country for close to a decade it doesn't cure everything.

The excuses of blaming the music and/or arts majors needs to stop because that is far far from the true and deep problem.

It does not help to be located in the worst sports town in America!

[Christopher Walker]

It does not help to be located in the worst sports town in America!

Give it a rest.

[JRock]

It is without a doubt that our marketing needs to be stepped up. I work for a national company in media and marketing and there are dozens of things UNT could be doing. When attendance is good...say 24,000 fans....we are not far from filling that stadium. Marketing can fix this with winning in the equation. We have a fabulous brand and location. And damnit... The older alums over say.. 50 years old need to at least open their mouths/stand/engage in the fight song. Help make the game day experience electric. Sorry...but 106 is damn near asleep if it were not for Mean Green Man, myself and a few others.

[shaft]

Why is this thread still going?

There are several new marketing efforts underway; Social media, Discover Denton, Game Day DTCA, Game Day Shuttle.

There's is clearly a new marketing strategy. I'm sorry if your not the demographic they are going after.

We are complaining jus to complain, because it was loss.

[MeanGreenZen]

105k people are at the Aggie game right now. They aren't there because they received an email or got a bi-weekly newsletter or saw a billboard or got a buy one get one free ticket. They aren't there because they got an excited automated voice message from the head coach imploring them to come. People don't go to college football games for those reasons. People go to college football games because that's what they did when they were students and they made a connection to their school and have a connection to the game day experience that transcended their graduation. They go because they want to see the friends they went to college with, who had the same experience, too. You guys keep griping because you aren't being harassed enough by telemarketers and want a stronger T-shirt gun at games. I'm just going to keep showing up because that's what I did when I went to school and it was fun. As more and more people have a similar experience the crowd will grow.