A More Effective Checklist

Third of a series on the ideas behind the new ArkansasRazorbacks.com layout.

By reducing the number of advertising positions, the value of those remaining increased, which is a bonus to the rights holders. By increasing the editorial content areas, the consumers feel they are getting a better product, and are more inclined to use the product. This in turn increases page views and unique users, which of course, increases the value of the reduced ads.

The marketing messages that were scattered all over the previous designs – we must have “X” on the front page at all times! – were not seen by the end user as athletic department promotion or the well-intended attempt to bring to fan’s attention specials and programs that benefited them. They were just another advertisement; just another piece of visual clutter.

Those messages are now carried by a pair of new vehicles. The primary way information about tickets and promotions are presented are through additional stories written by the marketing and ticketing areas of the athletic department to convey the info. The second is through features on the larger programs which can be displayed in a targeted manner – sport-by-sport on the features module rotator.

Breaking this down into the life cycle of an event, here are the parts that assemble into the whole experience for the fan.

Each editorial story is the nucleus around which the electrons of marketing information orbit.

PRE-EVENT STORY: Links to tickets for the event, promotion for the event, directions and fan guide information to the event, streaming data, streaming audio/video, live blog.

IN EVENT: Now the live blog becomes the placeholder for the same links – tickets, promotions, directions, streaming information.

POST EVENT STORY: A recap of the event along with links to text/HTML statistics, computer generated play-by-play or other stats, PDF reports of stats, game notes or quotes, post-game press conference video, replays of video/audio/interactive blogs.

In this way, fans can find the information they need, and by having it available in text forms that promote sharing, they can forward it to friends to invite them to join them at these events.