U public relations officers are gearing up for the greatest competition of their lives. The Olympics are coming to town in one month’s time, giving the PR gurus a chance to grab the world’s ear with the hope that a little media coverage will greatly impact campus.
International media, 6,000 to 9,000 strong, will converge on Utah during those few weeks, and only about one-third of them can get into Olympic venues?between 4,000 and 7,000 media will search for stories, according to Ken Foster, a marketing communication professor and former associate vice president for marketing for the U.
Since the U is the host, Foster said the Olympics gives it “a great opportunity for exposure that you just could not buy all over the world.”
To take advantage of the media bonanza this February, the U has strengthened partnerships with Utah media agencies to increase publicity, said U Director of Public Relations Coralie Alder. U public relations recently produced a new media packet featuring the Olympic and Paralympic logos. The packets contain a U experts list, which includes the names and contact information of U faculty reporters can refer to when they need an expert on subjects from health sciences to humanities.
Alder hopes media will remember the U responded quickly and efficiently during the Games and come back to contact these experts for future stories. She sees this as a way to get the U’s name more in the public eye.
“The goal in mind is not so much during the Olympics, but long term,” Alder said. “The Olympics are a great recruiting tool for athletics and students?if we do our job well.”
Athlete Recruitment
U ski-team coach Kevin Sweeney isn’t planning on recruiting skiers at Olympic venues in February, but suspects a positive recruitment windfall for the ski team because of the Games. Sweeney expects current or former members of his team will compete in the Games, and they will generate positive word of mouth about the U.
The Olympic exposure to nearby resorts, Utah’s beautiful scenery and the quality of snow will help put the U “on the map more,” Sweeney said, but the skiing world is already familiar with Park City as a World Cup venue. He has mentioned the Olympic connection while recruiting the past few years, but “people don’t really think about that.” The closer the Games come, the more people have started thinking about it, he said.
Recruiting is more difficult during the years immediately preceding the Olympics, Sweeney said, as everyone has aspirations of becoming an Olympic athlete. For every one skier who competes, Sweeney figures 10 serious contenders vied for his or her spot. Those athletes that don’t make it on the Olympic level begin thinking about other things to do with their life, things like education.
Sweeney hopes those athletes will say about the U, “Mmm. Good school. Good mountains. That sounds pretty attractive to me.”
One thing Sweeney said has made the U more attractive to college skiers is Soldier Hollow, which was created as a cross country skiing venue for the Olympics.
“For any collegiate program to have a venue like that right in its backyard is amazing,” Sweeney said.
Because gymnastics is not a winter sport, the Olympic presence hasn’t helped U coach Greg Marsden much, but things that have changed as a result of the Olympics have contributed to his recruitment efforts. The pedestrian bridge, the new guest house and TRAX have also helped when prospective athletes visit the U, he said, but the new dorms have helped the most.
“A big problem we used to have was our on-campus housing,” Marsden said. “That has gone from a big negative to a big positive.”
Student Recruitment
Many prospective students visit the U while on a skiing trip to Utah, and many out-of state students are drawn to Utah because of skiing. The U includes a picture of a skier in its out-of-state recruitment material. It should come as no surprise, then, that the U uses the Winter Olympics in its recruitment efforts.
Recruitment officials talk about the Olympics “any time” we have the opportunity to talk to prospective students, said Director of Student Recruitment Suzanne Espinoza, frequently using the Olympics as a conversation starter at out-of-state college fairs.
“Students are interested in the fact we’re going to have the Olympics. It definitely catches people’s attention,” Espinoza said.
When prospective students walk by and ask, “What’s the U known for?” recruiters can respond, “We’re hosting the Opening and Closing Ceremonies and the Olympic Village,” which makes the U stand out against a backdrop of 50 booths from campuses that don’t have the Olympics.
“I think it’s an exciting thing about the campus. It gives us a cosmopolitan image. So much of college choice is [based on] a lot of basic information about the campus, but also the image of the campus,” she said.
Espinoza hesitated to measure the effectiveness of using the Olympics as a recruiting tool, as college choice is based on many factors.
“I don’t know if you could say [the Olympics] is a conversation starter or a deciding factor. It initiates some interest and impacts our image in a positive way, especially for students with no knowledge of Utah,” she said. “We’re hoping that will add cach to our campus among students.”
How It Worked Out for Them
The Georgia Institute of Technology saw increased interest following its involvement in the 1996 Summer Games, said Bill Miller, who was the institute’s director of Olympic planning.
Georgia Tech hosted the Olympic Village, boxing and swimming events. Swimming coaches used Georgia Tech’s Olympic involvement to recruit athletes. For the Olympics, Georgia Tech received a $21 million natatorium featuring a full Olympic pool, a diving well, support facilities and a 5,000 seat arena.
“This is the actual pool that so many records were set in. That carries a lot of interest,” Miller said.
The natatorium’s roof continues to get publicity. One of Georgia Tech’s research interests is renewable energy, and the roof is one of the largest solar power collectors in the United States, saving the institute “hundreds of thousands of dollars” in electricity expenses every year.
Just like the U, Georgia Tech also had new residence halls put in for the Olympic Village, which has indirectly helped recruiting. The number of applicants to Georgia Tech has continually increased. Name recognition because of the Olympics has contributed to that increase, Miller said. The first year after the Olympics, Georgia Tech used the Games in its student recruitment, but stopped afterward as the Olympics became “old news,” he continued.
Because Georgia Tech also hosted the Paralympics, as the U will, its Center for Rehabilitative Technology benefitted greatly from the Games.
“Publicity was very healthy for [the center],” Miller said. “They’ve grown quite remarkably. They have a big program. I think the Olympics helped facilitate that growth.”
How Will it Work Out for the U?
Foster predicts an increase in inquiries from potential students and “a little bit” of help with grant applications. The Olympics has the potential to expand the U’s donor base, and could help increase donated funds. Foster believes the international attention will help with diversity recruitment from countries across the globe.
“There’s this great big nebulous concept of image that’s out there. Anything that enhances your image will have a variety of trickle-down effects on campus,” Foster said. “For one thing, it’ll simply put the U on the radar screen, where previously, we’re just another average-sized institution in the United States.”
The U hasn’t set a precedent using the Olympics to lobby for more government money; the campus has not received any direct government funding because of the Olympics, said Vice President for Relations Fred Esplin. The Olympics helped pay for some of the stadium expansio
n and Heritage Commons, but the government didn’t kick in any money. One government related benefit, however, has been light rail. Because of the Olympics, light rail came to the U “perhaps sooner than it might have otherwise,” Esplin said.
Administrators can speculate, but they will have to wait until the completion of the 2002 Games to see its true effect on campus.