Few college athletic departments can say they are at the forefront of social and digital media like Clemson, which routinely takes fans for behind-the-scenes looks at their teams. Led by Dir of New & Creative Media Jonathan Gantt (@Jonathan_Gantt), Clemson draws raves for its commitment to going beyond standard PR. Gantt said, “That’s what was so fun in the interview process, hearing the vision that (Senior Associate AD/External Affairs) Tim Match and (AD) Dan Radakovich had. ... That was exciting and refreshing to hear.” But the commitment had to go deeper than the administrative staff. Gantt: "We’re fortunate at Clemson to have coaches who understand the value of digital and storytelling and they empower our staff and students to do great work. Without buy-in from our coaches, we’d be missing out on what should be one of our greatest advantages -- access.”
The university’s progressive approach:
Change is hard, and as an industry, most people in college athletics would acknowledge the opportunity that is there through storytelling and having your own voice in recruiting and fan engagement. But there is a big difference between acknowledging that opportunity and acting on it. That means taking risks and changing things in a large organization, which is very hard to do. Also, athletic departments aren’t really built out that way. A lot of the infrastructure is mostly coaching and mostly related to the actual competition. There’s not a lot built out on the traditional marketing side.
On building the necessary infrastructure:
I’ve been here two-and-a half years, and it’s taken every bit of that time. Going into this past football season is when we felt like we were lined up pretty well. We still have lots of progress to make. We see ourselves as a marketing agency within the athletic department. Our staff structure is now set up to support that, or at least better than it was.
On setting the bar for many schools and teams:
We take a lot of pride in being the best. Our student-athletes and coaches want to win every game and be the best in the country. We view ourselves the same way. We want to make sure we are giving our teams every competitive edge. It’s very gratifying to see the impact that we’ve had. We’ve gained 1.4 million new followers in 30 months across our social media channels.
What the summer months mean:
It’s a constant "what’s next"? A lot of planning goes on in the summer, because we don’t have events. But year-round, we are getting together and setting aside time each week to make sure we are staying on top of everything. There is a lot we do to plan out specifics to make sure we are lined up personnel-wise, equipment-wise and strategy-wise for all the things that are going to come our way during the academic year. We also try to be proactive and stay ahead of the curve.
Favorite post:
It’s pretty hard not to think about the Dabo (Swinney) whip vine from after the Notre Dame football game this past season. There have been a number of things that our students and staff have come up with, but that one was special because it was an amazing moment for not just the football team, but the entire university. To have that joy and sheer enthusiasm and exhilaration in the locker room after that game and have it captured so perfectly, that was a great example of what we try to answer every day with our social account.
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