The Atlantic 10 Conference is hoping that an "assertive new campaign" beginning this week will "help it gain the notice and attention enjoyed by its more well-known rivals," according to Stuart Elliott of the N.Y. TIMES. The campaign is being created by Philadelphia-based agency 160 Over 90, which "also works on advertising" for A-10 schools Dayton and George Washington, as well as for UCLA and Florida. The "upbeat tone of the campaign is exemplified by its theme, 'Who wants next?'" The theme also "serves as the address" of a microsite, whowantsnext.com. Among the microsite contents are "a forceful two-minute commercial; a manifesto that proclaims the conference’s academic achievement along with its athletic prowess; and results of recent A-10 basketball games that carry the confident heading 'Scoreboards Don’t Lie.'" The campaign also includes "a 60-second version of the commercial," which is to run during TV coverage of A-10 basketball games. There will be an "extensive presence in social media, using the hashtag #WhoWantsNext." Conference members also will "promote it on their individual" school/athletic websites, Facebook pages and Twitter feeds. A-10 Commissioner Bernadette McGlade said the theme is appropriate because it invokes "the gritty experience you have on the street with pickup basketball" when "the winner gets to stay on the court." The commercial features a narration by poet Saul Williams, "who speaks as viewers watch fast-paced clips of A-10 basketball games." There also are ads "that are more temperate." For example, one uses the headline, “Winning doesn’t mean losing,” and under the rubric, “What we stand for,” explains that “running our programs the right way and winning aren’t separate goals, they’re one and the same” (N.Y. TIMES, 2/19).
