How the NCAA Changed the Way They Got Their Message Out (and what YOU can learn from it)
David Pickle's job at the NCAA rivals that of most big city newspapers. He's the man at the center of every piece of news and information that's published by the NCAA, and has overseen a dramatic shift in the way that information is presented to coaches, athletic directors and the nation.
Pickle is set to talk about the challenging task of completely overhauling the way the NCAA gets its information out to their readers at this weekend's Recruiting Kick-Off Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana (last chance to register!)
"We serve several important functions," says Pickle. "First, we facilitate the delivery of information that the membership needs to do its business – items like the NCAA Manual, playing rules books, statistical records and the like."
"Second, we deliver the news of the day. This includes material that the membership either needs or might want to be aware of. Third, we play a promotional role. In particular, our magazine is designed to enhance the overall image of college sports."
But a short time ago, Pickle recognized the shift in how information was being delivered and read thanks to the rapid advances in the way his readers were using the Internet. "We began to examine the matter seriously in early 2006 when I became concerned that we might be generating too much paper and not getting enough results," says Pickle.
So the NCAA, lead by Pickle and his department, undertook the daunting task of changing the way thier message was delivered. He will be talking to coaches attending the SFC conference this weekend on how they did it, and give them lessons on what they can do to adjust their messages to one of their most important audiences: Their recruits.
"We chose apply various media based on their strengths and liabilities," explains Pickle. "Paper, for
example, permitted us the opportunity to create dramatic presentations and permanence, but it was a poor medium for speed – hence the magazine. The Web, on the other hand, provided us with the potential for immediate delivery. That made more sense for the timely, regulatory type content that might be hard to display attractively."
Just how hard of a task was it? That's the question that's going to be on coaches mind this weekend, and Pickle is ready to tell them that while the task was difficult, the results were well worth the blood, sweat and tears.
"It took a lot of work, and there were times when I wanted to put myself in a time capsule and be transported past our January 2008 launch date," remembers Pickle. "But we had the luxury of time and were able to go about things in an ordered way that achieved great results and acceptance. Some of what we’re doing is still a work in progress, but I feel better about where we are now than where we were two years ago."
Pickle will be going into detail on the transition, how it happened, and how coaches can duplicate the NCAA's success in the way they adapt their message to their audience.