from the Release of We Are Marshall

Transcription

1 If Lightning Should Strike Twice: Lessons to Learn About Institutional Advancement from the Release of We Are Marshall Abstract Marshall University failed to see an increase in donations following the release of We Are Marshall. Using University of Texas at El Paso s experience with Glory Road as a model, recommendations are made for how to capitalize on the visibility that comes with a movie tie- in. Background When representing Marshall University at college fairs across the country, I am often asked, Is your Marshall the Marshall in that movie? Yes, I reply, We Are Marshall depicts the events surrounding the 1970 plane crash that claimed the lives of 75 Marshall University athletes, coaches, boosters, and crew members on board. This is frequently followed by the statement, I bet you got a lot of students out of that. Based on the impact Glory Road had on enrollment and donations at its subject school, University of Texas, El Paso, this is a reasonable expectation. And while Marshall University did see a comparable increase in new freshman enrollment, it did not see similar results in fundraising from its time on the silver screen. While being the subject of a major motion picture is often a one- time- only event, there is a book/movie deal developing for the story of the Marshall crash as told by Mark Smaha, a football graduate assistant at the time of the crash (Walsh, 2009). Thus, it would behoove those who are involved in institutional advancement at Marshall University (and those at institutions who may have a similar opportunity in the future) to examine the missed opportunities of We Are Marshall, and prepare to

2 capitalize on the opportunity of No Practice Sunday (the working title of Smaha s story), should lightning, in fact, strike twice. In the months prior to the release of We Are Marshall, in January 2006, the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) saw the premiere of Glory Road, a feature film based on its 1966 basketball team that broke a racial barrier by being the first university (as Texas Western University) to have an all- African American starting lineup, which went on to win the NCAA National Championship (Internet Movie Database, 2006). By November of 2006 (just a month before the We Are Marshall premiere), UTEP had seen a 40% increase in admission applications, and a 15% increase in alumni donations (Kean, 2006). Kean predicted that because Marshall University had the good fortune of having its name in the movie s title, and thus would be brought to mind by anyone seeing a preview, marquee, or movie poster, not just the people going to see the movie (2006), that Marshall should have an advantage in capitalizing on the opportunities in fundraising and student recruitment simply because of the greater name exposure. Further, when examining the overall exposure to movie- goers, the films fared quite comparably at the box office. According to box office receipts, Glory Road had a domestic gross of $42.6 million, whereas We Are Marshall grossed $43.5 million domestically (Box Office Mojo, 2010).

3 Outcomes According to Kean s article, UTEP saw a 40% increase in admission applications (2006) and UTEP saw its freshman class go from 2377 students in 2005, to 2544 students in 2006, an increase of 7.0% (University of Texas at El Paso, 2009). While Marshall saw a more modest increase in freshman applications (only 3.65%), they saw an 11.1% increase in the size of the freshman class from the fall before the movie s release to the fall following ( ) (Marshall University, 2010). Interestingly, the actual increase of students differed by only two: 167 for UTEP, and 165 for Marshall. In fundraising, however, UTEP showed that Marshall had a lot to learn. Kean reported a 15% increase in alumni donations at UTEP in the months following Glory Road s release (2006). Marshall, however, actually saw a decrease in Unconditional Promises to Give (UPG) as reported in the Marshall University Foundation, Inc. Annual Report. As of June 30, 2006, Marshall s UPG was $6,176,250, which decreased 9.63% to $5,581,670 by June 30, 2007 (Marshall University Foundation, 2007). The decline continued into 2008 with an additional 5.43% decline in UPG to $5,278,528 by June 30, 2008 (Marshall University Foundation, 2008). So why was UTEP able to capitalize financially on its Hollywood experience in a way that Marshall was not?

4 Fundraising Approach According to Kean, UTEP took a number of steps to try to promote the university and their philanthropic efforts when Glory Road hit theaters. These included bringing back members of the 1966 team to the local premiere of the movie, holding local fund- raising events, referencing the movie in their annual fund calls, and renaming a street through campus Glory Road (Kean, 2006). While some of these strategies were not direct find- raising activities (bringing players back and street renaming), they likely contributed to a feeling of excitement and pride for the campus community. Further, two months before the movie s release, in November 2005, UTEP hosted several days of activities including an unveiling of a Wheaties Cereal box honoring the team, a pep rally, a cookout lunch, a book signing with the 1966 coach and players and a photo exhibit of pictures from the Championship Game (UTEP, 2005). When compared to UTEP, Marshall University appears to have taken little direct action to turn the attention given to We Are Marshall toward developing the university s human and cash capital. According to Kristi Arrowood, Director of Special Projects for the Marshall University Foundation, no fundraising campaign was linked to the movie. In her words, they sought to just ride the wave wherever it took us (personal communication, March 16, 2010). In fact, the only fundraising event linked to the movie s release was the sale of tickets to the Huntington premiere of the film at the Keith- Albee theater, where fifty percent of the proceeds from the ticket sales went to the university (Wellman, 2006).

5 Another missed opportunity came from not having an event in which students and alumni could meet some of the coaches and players from the Young Thundering Herd, the 1971 Marshall football team. Nor were there any events on campus connected to the debut of the movie, other than the university encouraging people to wear green on the day of the release (Marshall University, 2006). It should be noted that the movie entered wide release on December 21, 2006, during the university s semester break when no students were on campus. Why didn t Marshall do more to bring prospective, current, and former students together to enjoy this time in the spotlight and renew their dedication to the institution? While it is impossible to know for sure, it is reasonable to presume that numerous administrative transitions in the university and its Foundation in the time leading up to and immediately following the film s release could be a major contributing factor. Consider this: the university s President had been serving for less than a year when filming began; the university created the Office of Recruitment and hired a new director approximately a month before the release; and between late and mid- 2007, the Marshall University Foundation hired twelve new employees, including the CEO, Ron Area. With that in mind, it s easier to see that it wasn t possible for the administrators most connected to student and institutional development to do any long- range strategic planning on how to capitalize on this unique opportunity.

6 Recommendations It could take several years for Mark Smaha s version of the Marshall crash to come to fruition on the big screen, if it ever does at all. As Orlando Parfitt notes, In Hollywood, most projects that are developed end up never being produced. The history of the industry is littered with great scripts, ideas and concepts that, for a multitude of reasons, never see the light of day (2009). Yet there s a trend of Hollywood rehashing stories that have already proven profitable through numerous sequels (Spiderman, Pirates of the Caribbean, Batman) and remakes (Alice in Wonderland, Clash of the Titans, Sherlock Holmes), which may help pave the way for No Practice Sunday to make it to a final cut. Therefore, the following recommendations can serve as the starting point for a strategic plan to tie institutional advancement (including the development of future donors through new student recruitment) to the promotion of the film. Recommendation #1: The Marshall University Foundation, Inc., the Office of Recruitment and University Communications should coordinate efforts toward a cohesive and complementary set of print, television, and radio ads to run during the film s release. While an ad that will appeal to 17- year- old prospective students will differ from one that will appeal to the alumni donors, there needs to be at least one spot geared to each audience, and the ads need to match in terms of look and feel. Each ad should drive the reader/viewer/listener to the university s website, where the movie should have a prominent placement on the front page.

7 Recommendation #2: Promote the link between the university and the film through the university website, which provides the ideal platform for multimedia experiences related to both the story of the 1970 crash and the university as a whole. Because the story of the loss of the 1970 team and the 1971 Young Thundering Herd is so integral to the history of Marshall University, it would be worth the investment to produce a high- quality site with photos, player and coach bios, newspaper stories, and video that could be archived on the university website. Further, in anticipation of increased traffic to the website, attention should be given to increasing the number of general photo and video galleries on the website. Recommendation #3: License a line of retro apparel to be sold in the university bookstore and other retail outlets. Recently, many professional athletic teams, particularly in the NFL, have been utilizing throw- back jerseys to broaden their merchandise and increase sales. Not only does this strategy increase revenue for the university, it also increases its visibility as people wear this apparel in public. Recommendation #4: Plan a series of on- campus events in conjunction with the film s premiere. People like to feel as though they are a part of something bigger than themselves, and a major motion picture certainly fits that description. However, few people (and virtually no student) can afford tickets such as those that were sold for the Keith- Albee premiere of We Are Marshall. While it is perfectly appropriate to hold a VIP event such as that, the university would benefit by sponsoring some more inclusive events. This could include: a buffet breakfast with

8 past and current players and coaches; a movie poster signing with key people represented in the film; a home football game in which the team wears 1970s era helmets and jerseys and the attendees receive a commemorative decal. Recommendation #5: Develop a year- long fundraising theme that emphasizes what the university has been able to accomplish since the 1970 tragedy, and how current donations can lead to even greater success. People are more inclined to make a donation when they feel passionate about a cause and feel that their contribution will make a difference. With the right message, Marshall could see the same kind of increase in alumni donations as UTEP did with their efforts. Recommendation #6: Strengthen collaboration between Office of Recruitment and Alumni Affairs to increase efforts in new student recruitment. It can be easy to forget that the foundation of alumni donations is built when new students are recruited to the university. Therefore, the Alumni Association and Office of Recruitment should work together to develop prospective student events that will build on the visibility created from the film. Recommendation #7: The Recruitment Office should also utilize stylistic imagery from the film (particularly fonts and logos) within their recruitment materials to help build the association between the movie and the university.

9 Conclusion There is no question that the filming and release of the film We Are Marshall was an incredibly positive experience for Marshall University, and there is little question that the university will continue to see positive (although diminished over time) effects from the exposure that resulted. There is also great uncertainty as to whether there will ever be another movie about Marshall s defining tragedy. However, should the lightning of Hollywood strike twice in Huntington (or should another institution have a similar opportunity), the returns on investment can only increase if a methodical and strategic plan of marketing, recruiting, and fundraising is developed and implemented.

10 References Box Office Mojo. (2010). Retrieved March 17, 2010 from and Internet Movie Database. (2010). Glory road. Retrieved March 15, 2010, from Kean, S. (2006). Another university benefits from its role in a feature film. Chronicle of Higher Education, 53(13), A43. Marshall University. (Dec. 21, 2006). Marshall University urging people to wear green on Friday to celebrate release of We Are Marshall. Retrieved March 17, 2010 from Marshall University website: Marshall University Institutional Research Data. (2010). Bluebook. Retrieved March 17, 2010 from Marshall University website: Marshall University Foundation, Inc. (2007). We are Marshall: a continuing story: annual report Huntington, WV: Marshall University. Marshall University Foundation, Inc. (2008). Inspired to make a difference: annual report Huntington, WV: Marshall University. Parfitt, O. (May 1, 2009). Movie development hell! Retrieved March 18, 2010 from IGN Movies website: University of Texas at El Paso. (Nov. 2005). Fan s guide: 1966 championship team

11 and Glory Road celebration. Retrieved March 18, 2010, from UTEP website: University of Texas at El Paso, Center for Institutional Evaluation, Research and Planning (2009). First time freshmen enrollment by gender ethnicity. Retrieved March 17, 2010 from UTEP website: Walsh, D. (Nov. 14, 2009). Former MU trainer finally healing from memories of plane crash. Retrieved from Wellman, D. (Oct. 19, 2006). Movie premiere to be shown at Keith- Albee, Pullman Square. Retrieved March 18, 2010 from Marshall University s website: