From an athletics director standpoint, you have decided to hang your hat on New Media. So, who in your department owns this? Sports Information/Media Relations Director? Marketing Director? PR Director? Communications AD? In most cases across the country, the choice falls under Media Relations or Marketing. Media Relations owns the content and Marketing owns the advertising. So who wins in that battle? It’s an age old question.

Our take is this: New Media is a communications tool first and must be treated that way. If you make it a good communications tool that engages donors, fans, recruits, sponsors, etc…the money will follow. If you lead with money but don’t have the communcations strategy that supports it, then the money won’t stay long term because the tool will not be effective.

From college athletic purposes, think of planning and executing New Media as you would plan to host an NCAA tournament. There is a lot of planning that goes into place to win the bid then everything must be executed just so. Don’t forget their are rules as well. You have a team leader for the project, usually at an AD-level but that person is supported with both in-house and outsourced support. Ultimately, you want visiting fans, visiting teams, visiting media and the NCAA to find your campus and city well organized and for them to go home talking about the enjoyable experience and your hospitality. You want them to come back and to tell their friends and colleagues to come back and you put a lot of effort into making that happen.

Every time you engage, it is a communications experience that if planned correctly can reap rewards. The lead is through communication but must be supported throughout the athletic department.