YEAR
2011
PROJECT
Ad
Campaign
CLIENT
Gopher Sports Marketing
From Glory Days to Tough Times
The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers football team was glorious – a really, really long time ago. It won three straight National Championships from 1934-1936, then twice in 1940-1941, and the last time in 1960. Since then, the team has had its modest ups and downs. However, in the Tim Brewster years of 2007-2010, it was only 17-33. A coaching change was needed.
Enter Coach Jerry Kill
In 2011, the Gopher fan base enthusiastically embraced a new head coach: Jerry Kill. With a name like that, the program could only go upward from its previous season’s record of 3-9. Coach Kill and his team of assistant coaches brought a winning history and immediately set to work to restore the program to a higher level of Big Ten credibility.
Saturday’s Coming
Dan Domagala, DKY Account Supervisor, was already connected to the football program as a board member of The Goal Line Club, a fan-based booster club. He connected with the Gopher Sports Marketing group at the University who asked DKY for its help promoting the upcoming season. It was definitely a tall order to sell tickets for a losing team, but now with a new coach, there was re-found optimism among fans.
Dan arranged for a quick huddle (haha) with Coach Kill during pre-season practice to get the coach’s insight on how to best position the team to Gopher football fans. Based on that quick conversation Coach Kill made it clear he really wanted Gopher football to be the #1 attraction for football fans in the state of Minnesota on Saturdays. If the Minnesota Vikings owned Sundays, then Gopher football should own Saturdays. And that’s what gave birth to the DKY ad campaign: Saturday’s Coming.
Fun Fact
Dan only had five minutes to chat with Coach Kill during that practice while a swarming group of local sportswriters anxiously waiting to get their time with the coach were held a few yards away. When Dan asked the coach what he needed most to make this a successful season, Coach Kill leaned in close and quietly said to Dan, “Better players.”
Marketing a Comeback
DKY had fun helping promote this turnaround team. While Coach Kill’s first year yielded the same results of a 3-9 record, he received what he hoped for – better players. And the team started winning more games again. From 2012-2015 the Gopher football team made it to four straight bowl games.
