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A colorful approach to marketing UofL in Big Blue country

The University of Louisville is taking a unique approach to increasing its brand awareness outside the Louisville metropolitan area, from which come the majority of the school’s student body.

Like many recent marketing campaigns, this one focuses on some of UofL’s strengths, including high ACT scores, national rankings and cutting-edge research.

What’s different is the color scheme which infuses the advertisements. Rather than exclusively using the university colors of red, white and black, the messages are delivered in front of a royal blue background, the color often associated with the Commonwealth and with UofL’s chief athletic rival, the University of Kentucky.

“The campaign is designed to spill red into the traditional UK and Commonwealth blue, reminding audiences that there is more than one university in Kentucky," said Mary Griffith, senior associate vice president for communications and marketing. ”It’s an incursion campaign coming right at the time UK and UofL play out their traditional sports rivalry (the football teams play their annual grudge match in Lexington on September 19).”

Target audiences are central Kentucky alumni, current students and potential recruits, and influencers. A smaller print campaign directed at veterans and their education needs is running in Elizabethtown and Fort Knox newspapers.

Freedom Hall Not Available for 2006 UK-IU Game

From the Louisville Courier-Journal :

Scheduling conflicts at Freedom Hall could force the University of Kentucky to find an alternative site for the Indiana University basketball game next season.

The date they had targeted, Dec. 9, has been blocked by the University of Louisville, Freedom Hall's primary tenant. The Cardinals are working on a tournament that would run Dec. 8-10.

If UK is unable to secure Freedom Hall on Dec. 9 by the end of this season, the Wildcats and Hoosiers will begin to explore other options, said Rob Mullens, UK's executive associate athletic director.

Papa John, You're Wasting Your Time

From the Louisville Courier-Journal :

University of Louisville trustees sent a message yesterday to those still questioning where a downtown arena should go: The decision has been made, and it's the riverfront.

With U of L President James Ramsey urging them on, the board of trustees voted 11-0 to support the governor's task force plan that U of L be the main tenant of an arena at Second and Main streets.

The resolution comes days after Papa John's founder John Schnatter and Humana co-founder David Jones commissioned a $220,000 study of two downtown arena sites. The two said they were paying for the study -- comparing the riverfront site with the old Louisville Water Co. block on Third Street -- because the latter hadn't received serious consideration.

Why DO Kentuckians Love Basketball So Much?

Daniel Wann, professor of psychology at Murray State University, took on the challenge of finding the answer to this vexing question.

Gentlemen, Start Your Engines

It appears that the 55 MPH speed limit on Kentucky's interstate highways is about to go away.

Here's Some Advice: Get Over It

Tubby Smith is a great basketball coach, but he's not quite so good at timing his comments.

Fresh off his team's whipping of arch-rival Louisville, he has antagonized the Big Blue faithful in Kentucky's biggest city (and there are a LOT of them) by playing the poor-us card regarding the Wildcats' annual game in Louisville, to be played tonight against unbeaten Iona.

It seems that Tubby is unhappy that year after year he can't pick a date of his liking for the game in Freedom Hall, in part because the Louisville Cardinals - the arena's primary tenant - get first choice of the available dates.

Fletcher Names Members to Arena Authority

From Louisville Business First: "Following the recommendation of the Louisville Arena Task Force, Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher has appointed members to the newly created Louisville Arena Authority Inc. They will oversee the design, construction and operation of the proposed arena complex."

Ernie Bought Some Publicity for Kentucky

Subscribers of Forbes and Forbes Asia magazines will get the opportunity next May to review a special advertising supplement on Kentucky business and tourism.

The section, titled "Kentucky Unbridled Spirit," will appear in the annual "Best Places" issue of Forbes and will highlight the state's business and tourism environment.

Steve Forbes, president and CEO of Forbes Inc., said in a news release that he was "impressed when Gov. (Ernie) Fletcher brought his top economic development and business leaders to my office in New York to discuss the state's progress and to ask us to partner with them on this effort."

Kentucky - Gambling for Jobs

After decades near the bottom of most national economic measures, Kentucky needs jobs — and will do almost anything to get them.

Over the last 25 years, at a cost of $1.8 billion to state taxpayers, Kentucky's primary economic incentive programs have not only, according to a report published by the Lexington Herald-Leader, "barely moved the needle on the commonwealth's dismal rankings -- neither have they improved the lives of many people teetering on the edge of poverty."

Jefferson County Legislators Need To Support Arena Plan For It To Succeed

Kentucky Lt. Governor Steve Pence reiterated on Wednesday that Louisville-area legislators must be unified in their support for a downtown arena or they will not persuade other legislators to sign on to the project.

In October, 21 of the 25 Jefferson County legislators responded to a Courier-Journal survey about the arena plan. Twelve said they aren't sure whether they will support it during the upcoming session, while nine said they would.

Today, the Courier-Journal took up the cause, chiding the legislators for being "missing in action," failing to see that "the arena project, on every level, is a winner for both Kentucky and Louisville."