Mustang Mania II

[Diamond Girl]

I know the AD just forked out a lot of money last season for a new football campaign, but what about resurrecting Mustang Mania?

[Pony Up Class of 85]

I'd be for it. In the early 80's it was something to see the number of bumper stickers with Mustang Mania on them.

[couch 'em]

Is it a good idea to use an ad campaign that is a "II" when few people under 40 have any idea what "I" was?

[cs09viking]

Is it a good idea to use an ad campaign that is a "II" when few people under 40 have any idea what "I" was?

for those of us under 35, what was mustang mania?

[couch 'em]

I'm well under 35, but it was a marketing campaign in the late 70s, which apparently had much success. Like 'pony up' but with a non-pathetic team.

[Pony Up Class of 85]

It was the marketing campaign in the early 80's similar to Pony Up. There was a massive amount of bumper stickers given out. Tickets to games were discounted or given away free. The difference between Pony Up and Mustang Mania, is sports were good back then.

[Mustangsabu]

I'm all for Mustang Mania, I have had a few outbreaks of it recently. I find it can leave a rash, but it clears up.

I still like "Pony Up", if for no other reason than the fact that the University community did. Just a season later....

[KnuckleStang]

Class of 85, my understanding is that Mustang Mania actually started in '78 when SMU was 4-7 or something like that. We weren't good at all.

[MrMustang1965]

from www.wikipedia.org

Home attendance jumped from 26,000 to 52,000 in 1978 and “Mustang Maniaâ€

[Longtime]

Mustang Mania was one of the greatest collegiate marketing campaigns ever. It was so successful, TCU tried to duplicate it with "Frog Fever."

There were Mustang Mania bumper stickers everywhere. Lots of contests and excitement. They had a photo contest and one of the entries had a MM sticker on the Eiffel Tower, as I recall.

There were tons of giveaways: T-shirts, posters, keychains, mugs, caps...and most of all tickets. They filled the Cotton Bowl and Texas Stadium for games against so-so teams by giving away a ton of tickets. It got so that the SWC changed the policy where home teams now have to pay a portion of every ticket distributed, not just tickets sold, to the visiting team.

SMU caught some flack for all the tickets given away, "papering the house" as they call it with non-paid attendance. But there had to be some excitment about SMU football for people to show up, even with free tickets.

The campaign had energy and enthusiasm. They didn't worry about budgets and sponsors. They just did it. The Mustang Mania masterminds - Russ Potts and Brad Thomas - also benefited from catching the big wave of SMU football talent. First, strong-armed QB Mike Ford, then the Pony Express.

After Bob Hitch became the AD, around 1983 they ditched all association with Mustang Mania and went to the "Horsepower" slogan. Big flop. Should have kept Mustang Mania and built upon it. They probably won't ever bring it back, though. Whoever is running things will always want full credit for coming up with a new idea, even if the smart move is to revive an old idea.

If any of you young'uns think Pony Up! is a great campaign, you have no idea.

[Pony Up Class of 85]

True. The more I think about it, it is similar maybe a little ahead of where we are now. It was when the Ron Meyer era began taking off. Make me feel old, but we're heading in the right direction. I'm exited about the future. Bring back the glory days!!

[Longtime]

Here's some more info on Mustang Mania:

http://smumustangs.cstv.com/sports/m-fo ... ts-25.html

[Water Pony]

Top 25 in SMU Athletic History

[KnuckleStang]

Top 25 in SMU Athletic History

Bob's cap would sell for a pretty penny on ebay. That thing is off the hook.

[cs09viking]

do you all see the the momentum shifting again like it did back then?