The unofficial online home for fans of the Old Dominion University Monarchs. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

(07-05-2016 11:52 AM)Mr.BigBlue Wrote:  

(07-05-2016 11:22 AM)Old Dominion Wrote:  My wife dragged me into a Vera Bradley store at Lynnhaven Mall over the weekend. This is supposed to be a pretty upscale store for women. Anyhow, I see a blanket with a UVA insignia and ask the sales person "where is the ODU gear?" She then hands me one of those sample packet you see for paint or tile etc, you know the kind that's held together by a chain and has many sample to look at. So I go thru it and see UVA, VT and VCU!! but no ODU!!! tons of Big ten , Big 12, SEC you name it, so it's not just local schools. This looks like a classic example of what others are talking about relative to missing tons of marketing opportunities. Why does it seem we're always a step behind everyone else?

We are way behind when it comes to marketing the University. Even the Universities slogan of "Idea Fusion" is pitiful. ODU needs to develop a marketing strategy that includes promoting the wonderful things the University continues to accomplish and start to build pride in our University. I have traveled all over Va. in the last month. I have seen VT, UVA, JMU, VCU, CNU, RU, and GMU window stickers in that order pretty much everywhere i went. I only saw 1 window ODU sticker north of Williamsburg. Also, in this area...VT, UVA, CNU, and RU dominate. We have no school pride and no marketing strategy to promote school pride.

Forget about it. ODU has no interest in getting itself on a state-wide level as many peer universities do. Everything we do is local to the 757 which is frustrating to those of us that decide to move on a make a living in other locales. We have to have school pride that swims against the lack of marketing current created by ODU. Our U does nothing to market itself for statewide growth and engagement and that includes the easy stuff--buying TV and online ads, SEO, SEM, online behavioral marketing, etc. Hell, we're the only VA public that still isn't made available for ODU alumni on a Maryland tag. We just let VCU and JMU do all that stuff.