On the heels of Texas A&M QB Johnny Manziel winning the Heisman Trophy on Saturday, the university is not "wasting any time marketing itself," according to Darren Rovell of ESPN.com. The school will "toast the latest Heisman winner with a billboard in the heart of Times Square" in N.Y. It is an "extravagant spend" for the school, but there "are big plans and hopes for a decent return on investment." The campaign reads: "They call him Johnny Heisman. The 12th Man stands a little taller today as we congratulate Aggie quarterback Johnny Manziel, winner of the 2012 Heisman Trophy." A&M also "bought full-page ads" that ran in today's editions of the N.Y. Times and USA Today. The marketing blitz "includes ads online, nationally with ESPN.com and SI.com and regionally with the Dallas Morning News, Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News" as well as the Austin American-Statesman. A&M VP/Marketing & Communications Jason Cook would not disclose the ad budget, but said that it was a "collaboration between the Aggies athletic department and the university at large." adidas, the school's athletic-gear provider, has "made shirts with the Texas A&M logo and colors with Heisman imagery to be sold at retail" (ESPN.com, 12/9). In Texas, Kelly Brown wrote A&M's marketing team has not "let the opportunity slip by." Cook said, "Johnny Manziel being a part of the Heisman discussion has brought an incredible amount of attention and visibility for Texas A&M. The eyes of the entire country have truly been on Texas A&M for the past several weeks, and Johnny has been a great ambassador for our university throughout the entire process." City of College Station Dir of Public Communications Jay Socol said that he has "noticed a major increase over last year ... in state and national mentions of College Station in the media" (Bryan-Station College EAGLE, 12/9).
