• Loading stock data...
Thursday, March 28, 2024
2024 Best Venues nominations are open now through April 8! Submit Now

‘Climb With Us’ Moniker Leads Marketing Efforts for Penn State

marketing - penn state

Oftentimes, marketing slogans are simple ways to create a narrative around a given year and create excitement in the lead-up to a new season.

For Penn State men’s basketball, not only has the fanbase embraced their “Climb With Us” slogan, the team has bought into it as well.

It’s this type of buy-in that has allowed the marketing department to take the moniker and build it into some new initiatives, “100 Days of Climbing” and more recently, the aptly named “Random Acts of Climbness.” From paying for people’s parking, to buying them breakfast, the random acts of “climbness” have impacted people across State College.

Like many great ideas, this one came when Marketing Manager PJ Mullen wasn’t even at work. Sitting on a beach in Florida, the idea hit him like a ray of Florida sunshine.

“Last year I was sitting on the beach and the thought of 100 days of climbing came to mind to kind of help fans gear up for the season. I had just gotten into my role as marketing manager for men’s basketball and I had sold the whole ‘Climb With Us’ idea to a lot of people who bought into it.”

For all of last year, “Climb With Us” became the rallying cry for not only the department, but the students and the team itself.

Then, this year when the marketing department was looking to take “Climb With Us” to the next level, Mullen was hit with another idea.

“I was actually walking down the street coming from a car wash where someone had handed a random person a $100 bill because their brother died that day and they said that they did this every year on that day as a way to honor him. I happened to walk into Wegmans right after that and our basketball coach was sitting there and I said that we should do random acts of kindness. Then I said we might as well make it into ‘random acts of climbness’ and he loved it.”

READ MORE: University of Florida Looks to Drive Engagement With On-Court Projection

With the coach bought in, the department bought in, and the team bought in, Mullen set out to set up “random acts of climbness” in and around State College.

So far, coach Chambers and the team have helped pay for people’s parking, bought them breakfast at Dunkin Donuts, brought a whole elementary school ice cream and even treated some lucky fans to lunch at Chick-fil-A.

As expected, the gestures have been a hit both in person and on social media.

“People have loved it,” said Mullen. “We even had the news stations ask if we were going to keep going with it and at the time we said yes, so we will at least be doing it until the season starts.”

[mc4wp_form id=”8260″]

Outside of being a hit on social media and driving solid PR for a program fresh off an NIT Championship, the entire “Climb With Us” campaign has impacted the department where it matters most, the bottom line.

“Ever since PJ and the team put this together last year our student season tickets are up over 100 percent of what they were last year and our new season ticket sales have been great,” said Chris Grosse, assistant AD for Marketing for Penn State. “It really shows that having buy-in from across the board with a campaign like this can create tangible results, which isn’t something everyone can say.”

Simple, effective, and impactful. When it comes to marketing initiatives, sometimes those are the best types of campaigns.  

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

March 22, 2024, Brooklyn, NY, USA; Northwestern Wildcats guard Brooks Barnhizer (13) and Northwestern Wildcats guard Boo Buie (0) react in overtime against the Florida Atlantic Owls in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at the Barclays Center.

‘An Expensive Game’: March Madness and NIL Collectives Are Intertwined

At schools nationwide, collectives are fueling NCAA tournament runs and vice versa.
Iowa’s Caitlin Clark (22) waits to be announced in the starting lineup against West Virginia in a NCAA Tournament round of 32 game Monday, March 25, 2024 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa.

The Women’s Trading Card Market Is Overlooked. Can Caitlin Clark Change That?

Traditionally, women’s sports cards have been a marginal part of collectibles.
The Sports Illustrated cover signed by Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez, February 27, 2019, at Don & Charlie's, 7501 E. Camelback Road, Scottsdale. Don Charlie S

Everything You Need to Know About the Ongoing ‘Sports Illustrated’ Saga

Understanding the strange state of affairs for the nearly 70-year-old publication.
podcast thumbnail mobile
Front Office Sports Today

MLB Opens Season With MLBPA, Ohtani, and Ownership Dramas

0:00
0:00

Featured Today

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Inside the Big East’s Bizarre Online Subculture

Peeling back the curtain on the ‘phenomenally weird’ Big East online ecosystem.
Mar 21, 2024; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Stetson Hatters guard Stephan Swenson (30) reacts during team practice at Barclays Center.
March 22, 2024

First-Time NCAA Men’s Tourney Bids Could Be on the Verge of Extinction

Power and success are consolidating around the richest teams in college sports.
March 17, 2024

‘Everybody Was Under Suspicion’: The Day Selection Sunday Was Scooped

In 2016, the ‘Selection Show’ backfired when the bracket was leaked anonymously.
Sep 3, 2023; Seattle, Washington, USA; Orlando Pride forward Ally Watt (11) and Orlando Pride forward Julie Doyle (20) enter the stadium before the game against OL Reign at Lumen Field.
March 16, 2024

So Long, White Shorts: Here’s Why the NWSL’s Uniform Pivot Matters

There’s finally a growing trend to adapt women’s sports to women’s bodies.

Careers

Powered By

Careers in Sports

Looking for a new job? Check out these featured listings and search for openings all over the world.
Live Nation
Multiple - USA Careers
Adidas
Multiple - USA Careers
Spotify
Multiple - USA Careers

WWE Borrows From UFC, Puts On-Mat Advertising in the Ring

The wrestling outfit is learning from its MMA counterpart’s playbook under the TKO Group.
September 16, 2022

NBA Legend Scottie Pippen Latest Celebrity To Endorse LIV Golf

The former Chicago Bull is part of LIV’s celebrity marketing campaign.
Drew Brees smiling while wearing hat
December 2, 2022

Drew Brees, PointsBet Pull Off Elaborate Lightning Publicity Stunt

The video racked up over 2 million views in about 12 hours.
Sponsored

How Daily Fantasy Sports Solved NBA Fantasy

The remarkable growth of the #1 Discord sports server in the world.
al michaels and kirk hergstreit
September 15, 2022

Amazon’s Advertising Blitz Ahead Of First ‘Thursday Night Football’

‘Thursday Night Football’ has launched massive marketing takeover ahead of Chiefs-Chargers.
June 21, 2022

NBA Finals Broke Records on Social Media

The NBA closed out the season with a bang on social media, eclipsing 2 billion video plays for a 19% increase over last year.
June 21, 2022

Gallo Winery Could Be New Player For Super Bowl Spots

Anheuser-Busch is giving up Super Bowl alcohol exclusivity for first in decades. NFL sponsor E. & J. Gallo Winery might step up with own commercials in the Big Game.
June 13, 2022

NBA’s Latest Floating Court Hits London’s River Thames

Hennessy continued their global initiative with the NBA by creating a floating court in the River Thames.