Andy Schadwinkel from University of Nebraska Lincoln:
–do things that earn media
–how do you make news not just ads; mascot can be your brand element; use your mascot to make news and engage people; Take “Herbie (mascot)” on the road to planned stops. The Herbie Husker Good Will Tour. Herbie hit the road.
–Herbie went over 1,000 miles in the state of Nebraska. Great coverage in rural areas: photos, captions in newspaper (free publicity)
–Handed out posters/flyers; banks/grocery stores and walked Herbie around (had fun). Reached out to schools asking them if they would be intersted in having Herbie visit for class achievement.
– Buy a lot of gatorade for the mascot as the uniform is hot and sweaty
–Maybe we can do more with this and think creatively and what we hope to get out of it as communicators.
–Share message of what we were doing; solution for low budget: cost $1300; earned thousands in publicity
