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ORSINI STRENGTHENS BUSINESS MODEL FOR SMU ATHLETICS

SMU A.D. Adds Southwest Airlines Executive As Associate A.D. For
Marketing & Public Relations

Nov. 8, 2006

DALLAS (SMU) - In a move to strengthen his business model for the department, Director of Athletics Steve Orsini has added Southwest Airlines Senior Director of Marketing and Sales Richard Sweet to his staff as Associate A.D. for Marketing & Public Relations.

After 22 years at the Fortune 500 company, Sweet was lured away by Orsini to head SMU athletics' marketing, promotions and public relations efforts. Sweet guided the world's most profitable airline's sales and marketing efforts and also has strong ties to the Mustang Athletic Department, as the SMU alumnus was a student-athlete on the Hilltop and
also served on the SMU Lettermen's Association Board of Directors.

"Being able to recruit someone of Richard's stature from a top Dallas company speaks volumes about our commitment to college athletics here at SMU," said Orsini. "We have a vision to be a top-25 athletic program in
all we do, on and off the field. We will always remain committed to our core values of running a program with integrity and graduating student-athletes who are prepared to be leaders in our community after college. At the same time, we have a responsibility to operate with a business model to make the most of our resources, to increase revenue, and to make our program more attractive to our students, alumni and the broader community. Combining those values will make our program a model, and our students-athletes will benefit from the new environment of involvement this will create. I have every confidence that Richard can successfully lead our efforts on that front."

"I think there is a tremendous opportunity at SMU," said Sweet, who will start at SMU on Nov. 20. "There is a market niche for college athletics in Dallas and we can redevelop a brand that is important to many SMU students, fans and alumni - one that once had very strong ties to this city. SMU provides very affordable, family-oriented, nationally-competitive college athletics events right here in the center of Dallas and I am excited to be selling such a great product."

"This hire demonstrates our desire to move SMU forward in the business of college athletics," said Orsini. "Intercollegiate athletics can play an important role at SMU and in the city of Dallas. It provides a great, quality gathering place. Athletics can build school spirit and really provide a sense of community."

"I applaud Steve Orsini's efforts to make more accessible to the community the entire experience of SMU athletics - from the camaraderie engendered to the enjoyment of watching intercollegiate competitions," said SMU President R. Gerald Turner. "We are fortunate in attracting a marketing professional who brings with him the strong community spirit and business savvy of a successful company based right here in Dallas. As an SMU alumnus, he also understands and values the University environment."

Interesting

*DING*

You are now free to go to a football game.

Sounds like a really good hire. Like the skins on the wall.

MustangStealth wrote:*DING*

You are now free to go to a football game.

Like it

If he has worked at SW so long, can we expect this kind of promotion soon?

The larger airlines, however, were not finished with their fight against Southwest. Braniff lowered its Dallas-Houston fare to just $13. In an action that became characteristic of the airline, Muse responded with newspaper advertisements claiming, "Nobody's going to shoot Southwest Airlines out of the sky for a lousy $13," offering customers their choice of either a $13 fare or a full-fare ticket plus a fifth of premium liquor. The bottles of liquor did not cost $13, but a businessman could put the $26 fare on his expense report and take the liquor home free. Once again, a Braniff tactic backfired. With 80 percent of its customer base choosing to pay full fare, Southwest won this 1972 fare war and became the largest distributor in Texas of Chivas, Crown Royal, and Smirnoff.

I am actually stunned by the fact that we have just hired someone that may actually have a clue in sales and marketing. Check out what it says about our new hire on the Southwest Blog:

http://www.blogsouthwest.com/author/rsweet
Richard is presently Senior Director of Marketing and Sales for Southwest Airlines in Dallas. As is the case with many Southwest Airlines leaders, he has taken a nontraditional path to his present position.

Starting in 1985 as a provisioning agent in Dallas, he parleyed an expertise in bagging ice, stocking beer and liquor, and maneuvering funny looking trucks between the wings of earth tone-colored 737s into a Marketing Manager position in Phoenix. In 1988 he had kissed up enough to earn Southwest’s President’s Award for Marketing. From there he was promoted to Los Angeles District Marketing Manager most likely because no one else wanted the position. Not wanting to leave the 120-degree climate of the desert and live in a Southern California oasis, he elected to commute on a daily basis across a time zone (yes, he flew back and forth everyday).

After interacting with 7,643,252 Customers and aging at a rate of three times that of a normal human being over three and a half years of flying, Richard was offered the position of Regional Marketing Manager in St. Louis to free up an addition seat between Phoenix and Los Angeles, thus enabling the Company to make more money. Eleven years ago he made his way back to Dallas and he is currently responsible for corporate sales (SWABIZ), field marketing, sports marketing and other promotional responsibilities throughout the United States. He also serves on the Marketing Planning Committee for the Company. In 2005 somebody important thought he was a pretty funny guy and he was presented the airline’s prestigious “Sense of Humor Award.”

Incredibly, Richard is married and has two charming and athletic children who most people believe are adopted because they are charming and athletic. The kids are certifiably his biological offspring. Additionally, despite blowing off numerous classes in the early 1980’s, Richard was able to eek out a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism from Southern Methodist University while attending on an athletic scholarship. (Yes, those were the days that SMU athletes were paid but also the days the Ponies kicked the butts of the best paid athletes UT and Texas A&M could afford.)

Great hire.. But just one question:

Isn't Southwest Airline's marketing budget just a tad larger than SMU's? I have full confidence that Sweet will bring great things to SMU, but at the beginning I hope he is willing to open his own wallet..

I like it as well. I wonder what role Brad Sutton will play in this effort. I know he is SID, but I would think the two will work hand-in-hand in some capacity.

They will.

Lunch is going to taste better. I've known Richard for quite a while and he is a class act-intelligent and committed. If he can learn to work with less of a budget, Orsini just signed a 1st round draft choice.

I just finished reading his posts on: http://www.blogsouthwest.com/

I am stunned. Shocked, even. SMU hired somebody with a sense of humor.

He wrote 400 words on tasting wine for the southwest flights and wrote in depth about his butt sittin comfortably in a SW airlines new leather seat.

WOW, GREAT, I can't wait to meet him.

Go Marketing.

WOW again

Poor bastard has to deal with AA as one, if not the major sponsor of our program and school. Do I smell a biding war between AA and SWA when the AA marketing contract expires? They compete over everything else in Dallas.

Oh, hell yes.......

By the way, I'll take a fifth of Crown for each of my 2 season seats.........