June 30, 2010
="" alt="Knight Head" border="0" class="imported"> Read John Denton's Knights Insider | ="" alt="Twitter Logo" border="0" class="imported">Follow us on Twitter | ="" alt="Facebook Logo" border="0" class="imported">Get social with the Knights on Facebook
JOHN DENTON'S KNIGHTS INSIDER: A UKNIGHTING MESSAGE | HOW YOU CAN UKNIGHT WITH AFFORDABLE TICKET PACKAGES
By Leigh Torbin
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - UCF Athletics will begin its 2010 football advertising campaign on Monday, July 5. The new campaign is entitled, UKNIGHT, and was developed by Push.®, an Orlando-based creative advertising, branding and design agency.
UKNIGHT is the UCF Athletics rallying cry to all of Central Florida, from students to alumni, neighbors to newcomers, to get involved with their hometown university's football program as they begin their quest for the 2010 Conference USA Championship and coveted bowl berth.
"UKNIGHT is a community rallying cry," said Jason Poinsette, Push.'s director of account management. "The perceptions of UCF are so different from person to person. The football program and sports in general, are a great way to connect with UCF. UKNIGHT will help our community realize that we have a big time athletics program and University right here in our backyard. We are thrilled to be working with UCF Athletics on this project."
"With the term, UKNIGHT, we are trying to do something simple yet bold," added Chris Robb, Push.'s chief creative officer and one of several UCF alumni working in the downtown creative services firm. "UKNIGHT is a message to families, friends, neighbors and newcomers to follow and discover their hometown team."
"This business relationship is a perfect fit for us, because it allows UCF Athletics to capitalize on Push.'s knowledge of the Central Florida market and their history working with other impressive brands in the community," said RaeLynn McAfee, UCF's assistant athletics director for marketing and promotions.
"About 40-percent of Push.'s staff graduated from UCF, so we knew they would have a special interest in the campaign," added McAfee. "UKNIGHT is an instantly identifiable campaign that ties together the UCF Athletics brand and a call-to-action for our community to engage with our program."
"A primary focus was to reconnect with alumni," Poinsette said. "We had a mini focus group here at Push.® due to the good percentage of staff who are alumni from various eras and we also have non-alumni who live in Orlando and work here. We hope we've come up with an automatic way to reconnect with the school, UKNIGHT and come together again. It is an all-encompassing message. Our message out of the gates is to reestablish our connection with UCF alumni because they're here, but they aren't coming as much as we'd want them to for the games.
"It was such an easy project to get excited about," added Poinsette. "It is a fun project and one which directly connects to our staff as UCF graduates or direct associates. There is so much passion to want to see it succeed."
UKNIGHT Advertising Overview
? TV commercials, both network and cable, in addition to radio and print advertising.
? Digital billboards along prominent Orlando thoroughfares including I-4, route 408 and major east Orlando streets.
? Movie theaters located in Waterford Lakes, Oviedo, Altamonte Springs and Winter Park, accounting for 79 screens in all.
? Facebook ads with central Florida targeted audiences.
? 5,000 yard signs that will be available to UCF season ticket holders, sponsors, and fans. UCF Athletics will be notifying fans in July with details on how to get their free yard signs and show their pride.
? Will be in motion, literally, both near the UCF campus and downtown, courtesy of AArrow Advertising of Orlando's sign spinners.
? A new "Game Day Guide", compiling all of the important game day information fans need, from tickets to tailgating.
? UCF's mascot Knightro will be present at live sports talk radio remotes throughout the summer.
#####
About Push.®
Push.® is a downtown Orlando-based strategic and creative advertising, branding and interactive agency which, through a discipline-neutral approach, converges to push brands to their full potential. Amongst its prominent recent campaigns are Orlando Tourism, Smokey Bones Fire Grill & Bar, the Orlando Museum of Art and Arnold Palmer Hospital.