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WVU Utilizes Social Media And Trademark Licensees To Create College Football's Biggest Watch Party

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This article is more than 9 years old.

How did college football programs stay in touch with their fans before the digital age?

Today, WVU is hosting its third annual Mountaineer Nation Day, to coincide with WVU's football game versus Oklahoma State.  The event is aimed at bringing together as much of WVU's 190,000-person global fan base as possible on one game day to show their passion and pride for the Mountaineers.  Through organized watch parties and contests, WVU utilizes Mountaineer Nation Day to drum up its global fan base not only to support its team, but to talk about its team on social media channels and support its licensed partners.

In 2014, Mountaineer Nation Day has utilized social media in a much more significant way to drive participation in the event than in years past.  "Mountaineer Nation Day allows everyone a way to connect with WVU and with social media growing, it is a great way to connect fans," WVU's trademark licensing coordinator, Nikki Goodenow said.  One unique way that WVU is publicizing Mountaineer Nation Day on social media is through Vine videos.  In partnership with Collegiate Licensing Company, WVU created six Vines aimed at encouraging fans to participate in Mountaineer Nation Day.  In the weeks leading up to Mountaineer Nation Day, WVU released two Vines per week.  The Vines ranged from WVU president, E. Gordon Gee, selecting the perfect bow tie for the event to the Mountaineer mascot driving to the game in a Jeep.  The Vines were hosted on the school's individual Vine page and were also disseminated through its other social media accounts.  "When you talk about engagement and conversation, it's always exciting if we have an opportunity to engage a fan through a retweet or Facebook post that helps extend your brand.  It lets everyone know how big the WVU footprint is, not only across the country, but across the world," Goodenow noted when asked about the importance social media plays in leveraging Mountaineer Nation Day.

Perhaps the most valuable integration of Mountaineer Nation Day, though, is WVU's involvement of its licensees in the event.  One of the cornerstones of Mountaineer Nation Day has become the unique and numerous contests WVU hosts wherein event participants can win WVU licensed merchandise.  Using its Twitter handle (@WestVirginiaU), WVU will engage fans throughout Mountaineer Nation Day in a series of giveaways.  The giveaways will feature products created by its trademark licensees, ranging from jewelry, picnic sets, garden flags and even game tickets.  "When fans register their watch party, they can win a prize pack with a t-shirt, lunch bag in WVU colors and a Frisbee that doubles as a picnic plate with WVU's logo.  This past Monday, we kicked off a promotion looking for the biggest Mountaineer fan.  To compete, participants must submit videos showing why they're the biggest WVU fan.  The winner will receive two tickets to the game against TCU, pre-game passes to an alumni event, a parking pass and tailgate opportunity," Goodenow explained.

Using social media and giveaways on a large scale has resulted in a big payoff for WVU's Mountaineer Nation Day.  This year, WVU says that 341 watch parties were registered for the event by fans in 13 countries, 38 states and Washington, D.C.  The number of watch parties is up from 244 in 2013.  It is believed that these numbers make Mountaineer Nation Day the most expansive watch party in college football.

For WVU, the popularity of Mountaineer Nation Day not only signals the passion of its fans, but it sends a message to the world about the commitment and expansiveness of Mountaineer fans.  Beyond that, Mountaineer Nation Day and its growth serves as a lesson to other athletics departments.  That lesson is one in which successful events can be cultivated by cross-collaborating with various entities on campus.  Through engaging and properly leveraging the athletics department, university's communication platforms, including social media, and licensing partners, WVU has created an event with unlimited reach and global potential.