Competition is intense at Miami Heat games—and not just on the court. This past season, the College of Business Administration at Florida International University (FIU) partnered with the Miami Heat as part of its latest strategy to reach potential MBA candidates.
“In our continual quest to increase awareness of our MBA programs and to win out over competition, we go to where our target audience—25- to 30-year-old professionals—is,” said Luis Casas, director of marketing, communications and recruiting for the College of Business Administration.
Miami Heat account managers Katie Jane (BS ’07) and Marcela Navarro (BA ’05), worked with FIU Business to create the right promotional tie-in for home games in March and April 2010.
Prior to tip-off at two games, a fan and a companion were selected from the “nosebleed” section and moved to premium seats, courtesy of FIU Business. Then, during a break in the game in the first half, the almost-20,000 fans in the AmericanAirlines Arena saw live video of these fans enjoying their upgraded location. The giant center-hung scoreboard with four 14’ by 9’ LED screens also delivered the tie-in message: “For more info on how to upgrade your career, call 1-877-MBA-AT-FIU.”
At another pair of Heat games, an FIU Business team staffed a kiosk on the arena concourse, giving people the opportunity to win FIU-logo prizes.
In addition, during a total of 12 Heat games, fans saw FIU ads in the free game programs, on the top of the scoreboard and on the LED screen that wraps around the inside of the arena.
Heat promotion was part of this year’s “Go for it!” campaign.
The Miami Heat promotion was just one of the innovative marketing efforts for this year’s graduate recruiting campaign, where the message is “You’ve been thinking about it . . . Your career needs it . . . NOW is the time . . . Go for it!” Other initiatives, including the use of social networking, have delivered results—and awards–to the college.
“Because potential MBA candidates lead busy lives, it takes inventive and multiple marketing initiatives, such as our partnership with the Miami Heat, to increase our awareness and make sure that our programs are top-of-mind when they are ready to pursue their dream of getting an MBA,” Casas said.
