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USF plans to recruit new Bulls fans with football campaign

In a market where locals have many entertainment options — from the beaches to theme parks to professional sports teams — the University of South Florida always looks for ways to stand out.

A new marketing campaign for the USF Bulls football team kicks off this month, aimed at driving more alumni, students and fans to Raymond James Stadium for the upcoming football season. “Bulls Unite” is the tag line on billboards, in print advertisements and in television and radio spots.

“The Tampa Bay market is so competitive for entertainment,” said Tom Hoof, the chief marketing officer for USF, who joined the university in 2013 after a nearly eight-year stint with the Tampa Bay Rays. Before that, he worked in marketing for Walt Disney World. “We’re not just targeting students and alumni, but the entire Tampa Bay region.”

The campaign features a USF football player, adorned in the school’s signature green and gold garb, running through the Florida woods. In some versions, the team’s cheerleaders and band members follow him. In others, he’s running to the staccato beat of a drum line.

“It’s all about promoting togetherness,” said Mike Nolasco, the university’s creative director. Nolasco was hired away from the Tampa Bay Rays by Hoof. “We wanted to create something that was epic, that showed a sense of battle but was different from what you normally see in sports team ads.”

Billboards can already be spotted around busy Tampa Bay area thoroughfares. A 30-second video launched on the USF Bulls’ Facebook page this week. More images and videos will roll out this month.

Hoof, who heads marketing for the entire school, is charged with creating a new brand for Florida’s fourth-largest public university. His team has 250 campaigns under way this year, from marketing USF’s college of education to supporting USF women’s basketball player Courtney Williams, who represents the United States in the World University Games this summer. Hoof has $300,000 to spend on athletics-related campaigns this year.

“Last year was all about getting to know USF,” Hoof said. “Now it’s about creating a brand that really defines who we are.”

The Bulls’ football attendance per game dropped by more than 10,000 from the 2010 season to 2014. Last year, the average attendance was 30,694 per game, which is a far cry from the 50,000-plus fans who packed the stadium in 2007 when the Bulls made their first-ever appearance in the BCS rankings, reaching No. 2.

The team’s performance has been lackluster at best in more recent years, and has failed to keep up with other Florida schools with more established and successful football programs, like the Florida Gators, the Florida State Seminoles and even the Central Florida Knights.

While Hoof and his team can’t control how good the Bulls team will be this year, they can try to boost the experience.

“We want fans to have a good time when they’re at the game,” Hoof said.

At more than 200 alumni and student events this year, Hoof’s team plans to build on the successful campaigns it experimented with last year — from giveaways of Bulls merchandise like the signature Rocky the Bull hat, to featuring its student-run street team and new USF Hummer. Social media campaigns, like selfies taken with the USF Hummer at the Tampa Bay Lightning playoffs or with the Rocky the Bull hats at men’s basketball games, will play an important role in the 2015-2016 season.

USF has a network of more than 296,000 living alumni, with 160,000 of those living in the eight counties surrounding the university.

“It’s all about engaging those alumni and those donors again,” Hoof said. “And rebuilding from there.”