{"id":1935,"date":"2015-12-04T15:05:52","date_gmt":"2015-12-04T20:05:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/magazine_original\/?p=1935"},"modified":"2025-01-28T09:18:53","modified_gmt":"2025-01-28T14:18:53","slug":"in-the-big-leagues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/magazine\/2015\/12\/in-the-big-leagues\/","title":{"rendered":"In the Big Leagues"},"content":{"rendered":"

Stillman students in Larry McCarthy\u2019s sport marketing class collaborate with FOX Sports to define \u201cThe Seton Hall Way\u201d in a new marketing campaign for the BIG EAST.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a daunting piece of class homework: Define Seton Hall\u2019s essence in a phrase. That was the ambitious assignment FOX Sports gave a sport marketing class at the Stillman School of Business in January as part of a marketing initiative for the BIG EAST conference.<\/p>\n

Larry McCarthy \u2014 an associate professor who teaches in the sport management program and whose students routinely work in marketing internships at such area teams as the Yankees, Mets, Nets, Knicks and Devils \u2014 divided his class into six groups of five to develop proposals for \u201cthe BIG EAST Way,\u201d a campaign spotlighting the attributes of member schools.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/foxsportsuniversity.com\/school\/shu<\/a><\/p>\n

So what does make Seton Hall unique? From a marketing perspective, \u201cour secret sauce seems to be community,\u201d says McCarthy. But how do you put that into a catchy and memorable tagline?<\/p>\n

The winning concept, as judged by representatives of the BIG EAST and FOX, was \u201ca small school with a big personality,\u201d says one of the winning-team members, Daniel Brown. The task, he says, was \u201cto figure out how to make Seton Hall stand out from all the rest.\u201d In other words, \u201cWhat is the Seton Hall Way?\u201d<\/p>\n

The discovery process was an intensive \u2014 and engaging \u2014 experience for the students. Or as McCarthy wryly puts it: \u201cI can talk all day long, but when you get professionals in here from the BIG EAST and FOX, suddenly their ears perk up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brown and his fellow team members spread out across campus to conduct surveys of nearly 100 students involved in everything from sports and fraternity life to student government and ROTC. Along with Stillman students Olivia Gaudioso, Nate Johnson, Steven Lombardi and Andrew Whiteman, Brown discovered that small size and a strong sense of community were the top Seton Hall attributes students valued. Others were the concept of \u201cservant leaders\u201d and the commitment to community service.<\/p>\n

Specifically, the FOX assignment asked: \u201cWhat makes you proud to be a student, fan and\/or alumnus\/alumna, and how can you share those experiences with a larger audience?\u201d<\/p>\n

Brown notes that \u201conce Professor McCarthy gave us the parameters, we had creative control over the whole thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Creative control has now transferred over to FOX and the BIG EAST as they craft the final messaging that will appear in a variety of media platforms, such as the BIG EAST Hoops e-newsletter and other digital and social-media outlets.<\/p>\n

This next phase of the project will include yet another learning process, says Kaitlyn Beale, manager for marketing and strategic partnerships at FOX Sports. She says that while the team\u2019s idea of a small school with a big personality is \u201ccohesive and on target,\u201d the campaign will undergo a translation process \u2014 as all do \u2014 as it comes to life. \u201cWhen the production team begins to execute it,\u201d she explains, \u201cthings change.\u201d Brown and his fellow students got to observe how this works, Beale says, as FOX captured footage during this fall\u2019s Seton Hall Weekend.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re getting exposure to real-life clients and processes,\u201d she says. This may lead to coveted internship opportunities at FOX \u201cas we continue to develop our relationship with Seton Hall and provide experiences for students.\u201d Such outreach represents a \u201chuge initiative\u201d from the top of the FOX organization to \u201ctap into fresh ideas\u201d and seek new talent, Beale says. It is \u201cnot about hypothetical challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n

Which brings us back to Professor McCarthy, who started his career as a physical education teacher in Ireland, and came to America to get a master\u2019s degree. He eventually received his Ph.D. in sport management at Ohio State University, and now works in the management department at Stillman, which supports 120 undergraduates majoring in sport management and sport marketing.<\/p>\n

What McCarthy teaches is both theoretical and practical. For example, students in his classes have worked with the New York Red Bulls soccer team by trying to sell tickets over the phone at a call center. \u201cCalling John Q. Citizen is a great way to learn how to sell and gain confidence,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d love to have FOX come back and do something else with us,\u201d McCarthy adds. \u201cIt\u2019s just another way to help our students develop their skills, knowledge and networking capabilities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bob Gilbert is a writer based in Connecticut.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Stillman students in Larry McCarthy\u2019s sport marketing class collaborate with FOX Sports to define \u201cThe Seton Hall Way\u201d in a new marketing campaign for the BIG EAST. <\/em><\/p>\n

Larry McCarthy \u2014 an associate professor who teaches in the sport management program and whose students routinely work in marketing internships at such area teams as the Yankees, Mets, Nets, Knicks and Devils \u2014 divided his class into six groups of five to develop proposals for \u201cthe BIG EAST Way,\u201d a campaign spotlighting the attributes of member schools.<\/p>\n

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