When the Miami University football team kicks off at tonight’s nationally televised bowl game, so too will the Butler County school’s marketing blitz be taking advantage of the widely viewed event.
Miami’s football squad will play on ESPN at 7:30 p.m. against University of Louisiana in the Lending Tree Bowl.
Though the Oxford-based university enjoys a long-heralded academic reputation nationwide, the game provides a rare stage to further Miami’s image across America.
“This is pretty big,” said Claire Wagner, spokeswoman for Miami, which also has regional campuses in Hamilton and Middletown and the Voice of America Learning Center in West Chester Township.
“The reputation of our ‘Miami Experience’ and the success of our grads is in the public sphere, but there is no denying the excitement of a bowl game and the vast audience that may learn a bit about Miami because they were watching,” said Wagner.
As is the custom of college football games, each participating school receives a free, 30-second advertising spot during the game’s broadcast.
But Miami is also at the ready to score on the school’s extensive network of social media platforms, its on website and through outreaches to alumni across the world.
“We’re teasing it in social media, many posts of which provide links to our website,” said Wagner.
“While we always have success stories on our home page and social media pages, we hope that interest from new audiences drives them to our website, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter sites to see those stories and to learn more about the high caliber people and programs at Miami,” she said.
Miami’s football squad last appeared in college bowl game in 2016, losing to Mississippi State 17 to 16 in the St. Petersburg Bowl.
According to the contract of Miami’s head coach Chuck Martin, for making it to a non-major college bowl game he will receive 8.3 percent bonus on top of his annual guaranteed salary of $522,300, or $43,350.
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