There’s a lot more at stake in today’s SMU soccer game at TCU than just bragging rights around the Dallas-Ft. Metroplex worth it. For SMU, the game could be an important stepping stone on the undefeated Mustangs’ journey to step up the football program – both in terms of reaching new heights on the field and in terms of relaunching the brand.
That was the consideration last month when SMU officials bought billboard space in Times Square to promote several of their players as well as their Born & Raised marketing campaign, which highlights Dallas players who stayed home to help out Mustangs to play. The Times Square initiative also served as an extension of SMU’s own poster campaign across the state of Texas, which started four years ago, said Daniel Nunes, assistant AD / Marketing & Creative Services at SMU. Nunes: “The aim of the campaign was to make SMU football and our student athletes known on a national level … and to encourage more people to join SMU football.”
Five years ago, SMU AD Rick Hart decided to change the way the Mustangs marketed their football programming. They have had winning seasons on occasion, but they haven’t made a dent in their busy and competitive home market. To put it simply, SMU football has not been relevant since the 1980s at the time of the “Pony Express”. Those lucky days were followed by the death penalty imposed by the NCAA on SMU football as the program was suspended in 1987 and 1988 because players were paid under the table. Since then, the SMU has not gained any more importance in its home market.
In an effort to raise funds for their marketing programs and restore some lost energy around the brand, the Mustangs began reaching out to donors to help them. Hart also brought Brad Thomas back into the sports department as a marketing consultant. Thomas was the marketing expert during the Mustang Mania in the 1980s. He has helped SMU Athletics maintain the donor program, which funds marketing initiatives. Nunez credits Thomas for building and cultivating these relationships, most of which are with former SMU players and athletic supporters, as well as friends of the DFW-related program like Troy Aikman.
“Being a private university in a metropolitan area presents a number of challenges,” said Nunez. “They compete with several of the entertainment options available in the DFW area. Winning helps solve this problem … however, winning may not be the only answer. We need to be proactive on other fronts. … For this season we have introduced new gaming experiences that are very popular – our premium area Club Takeaway and Perunas Pals Kids Zone. ”
SMU, a member of the American Athletic Conference, goes into today’s game at TCU (noon ET on FS1) with a 3-0 mark and with an ambition to be involved in the next round of expansion of the Big 12. State rivals TCU, Texas Tech, Baylor – plus newcomer Houston – already reside in the Big 12, which would greatly improve the Mustangs’ home schedule. According to the current schedule, the most attractive home games of the SMU this season are against North Texas (without conference) and Tulsa (AAC) or UCF (AAC).
TCU enters the game today as a 9.5-point favorite.
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