Athletics Marketing Services

Ohio is seeking an experienced vendor to provide comprehensive athletics marketing services with the goal of elevating the visibility, credibility, and support of its athletics programs. The selected marketing partner will be responsible for increasing brand awareness, prestige, and local and regional fan engagement among students, alumni, and the community, while also enhancing name recognition with high school athletes and coaches. The objective is to position Ohio as a competitive and high-quality athletics destination and to develop a consistent and compelling athletics brand identity.

Key responsibilities include developing brand messages and storytelling assets—such as video, print, digital, and social content—that resonate with athletes, families, coaches, and fans. Vendors will be tasked with integrating the athletics identity into the broader university brand while maintaining its distinctiveness. The scope also calls for the conceptualization and production of brand campaigns, digital fan experiences, loyalty programs, gameday promotions, and community outreach initiatives aimed at local youth leagues and regional sports fans. Additional efforts include devising a merchandising plan for apparel and event ticketing, and creating high-impact collateral and campaigns targeting high school coaches and programs.

The selected vendor will also be expected to develop and implement a comprehensive public relations and marketing plan for various target audiences, utilizing traditional media channels (television, radio, outdoor, publications, news outlets) as well as strategies for digital and social advertising. Establishing baseline metrics and key performance indicators, such as social engagement and attendance growth, will be essential for measuring campaign effectiveness.