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Like many of you I don't keep up with this board much until football season rolls around so this topic may have been already beaten to death. That said, I am happy to see billboards for SMU football at various locations, particularly along I-35. But I think they could be improved. I just saw one today and it really disappointed. There was a game still photo and some text about SMU football being a stampede. The picture was too busy for a billboard and nothing much else about it left me inspired. I hate to say it but Baylor has some really good, simple graphics on their billboards around Waco and they really catch the attention of drivers. A lot of people in Austin were born after the SWC broke up and have little or no idea where SMU is even located. I wish that the billboards were a little bolder with a simple message in large letters connecting SMU to Dallas. I didn't get a degree in advertising but I see a lot of billboards.

"knuckle up!" TCU billboard/banners in Fort Worth.

Bergermeister wrote:"knuckle up!" TCU billboard/banners in Fort Worth.

Better than knuckle deep

I heard there are going to be more this year in Houston and San Antonio. True?

Otto wrote:I heard there are going to be more this year in Houston and San Antonio. True?

I saw one tonight on I-45 heading south into downtown Houston. However instead of football, it was a picture of a team huddle during a basketball game. Good photo and easy to read the URL.

You can thank brad Thomas for those. And a group of loyal donors.

If it were not for the (again) big donations of just a few people (some of which came to SMU later in life), none of this advertising would be done.

SMU has faults but we should thank those friends and alumni that fund this advertising.

Everything can get better.

Beat unt!

I know of no faults. Other than our AThletic departmeant doesn't see the need to do this without outside pressure.

I always resent billboards from other schools that pop up in Dallas (the sign I see on the way home from work touting something about Baylor makes me nauseous), but they do their job: they make me look and wonder what that other school has that I should care about. So regardless of how these are funded, getting our name out in these other cities is huge. This has to be a long-standing thing.

CA Mustang wrote:

Otto wrote:I heard there are going to be more this year in Houston and San Antonio. True?

I saw one tonight on I-45 heading south into downtown Houston. However instead of football, it was a picture of a team huddle during a basketball game. Good photo and easy to read the URL.

I noticed today they also have the same billboard on northbound I-45, about a mile or two south of Hobby Airport.

There's one in north Austin on I-35. It's impossible to read it. The only people who would notice it are loyal Ponyfans posters. I was in a car with an SMU alum the other day, and he didn't notice it.

Maybe we need to work with Baylor's advertising department to learn how to make effective ads? Maybe work with TCU's MBA program to learn how to effectively spend advertising dollars to grow our brand?

I ran for public office numerous times in my life (and always won handily) and I think I understand the basics of getting the message out. It's amazing how so many miss the point in advertising of getting a message across simply and quickly as most people only give ads a passing glance. Plus, in billboards the message must be dramatic..and simple.

Dilly Dilly Arkpony.


SMU = AWESOME
Overprinted on a Shiny football helmet. The one with the mustang in US flag.


Copywright BUS 2018

Arkpony wrote:I ran for public office numerous times in my life (and always won handily) and I think I understand the basics of getting the message out. It's amazing how so many miss the point in advertising of getting a message across simply and quickly as most people only give ads a passing glance. Plus, in billboards the message must be dramatic..and simple.

Exactly. I think that it is great that we have entered the billboard race. Maybe you can share your experience with the advertising people. I worked for a politician who never lost a race. He was lower on the ballot and name ID was everything. I think the same is true for SMU given that we are not in a P5 conference and, as I pointed out earlier, I am always talking to people who don't even know that we are located in Dallas.

CA Mustang wrote:

Otto wrote:I heard there are going to be more this year in Houston and San Antonio. True?

I saw one tonight on I-45 heading south into downtown Houston. However instead of football, it was a picture of a team huddle during a basketball game. Good photo and easy to read the URL.

Where is it? Do you remember a cross street?