April 07, 2014 | Vol. 20 No. 30

 

 

Media blitz over Rose Bowl events helps put TCU on map
Published: 2/21/2011

rose bowl win

The University, our football program and our marching band have received lots of attention as a result of the Rose Bowl.

TCU has collected a number of statistics and responses from the Horned Frogs’ Rose Bowl win that we thought would be fun to share with faculty, staff and retirees. The cumulative effect of the overwhelmingly positive results demonstrates how the University’s visibility is growing around the nation, and around the world.

  • Prior to the game, the University purchased full-page, four-color “Ready for the Rose Bowl” ads in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Morning News, Chicago Tribune, USA Today, Austin American Statesman, Los Angeles Times and The New York Times. These touted TCU’s achievements, both off and on the football field.
  • The 2011 Rose Parade had a total television reach of approximately 47 million television viewers in the U.S. In addition, the Rose Parade was televised in 220 international territories and countries.
  • The 2011 Rose Bowl Game had a television audience of approximately 40.6 million in the U.S. and the live game attendance was 94,118.
  • Newspaper articles and coverage by broadcast media were too numerous to count, but included all the big city news organizations from coast to coast.
  • Following our Rose Bowl win, we ran “Thank you” and commemorative ads in Southern California newspapers as well as in the Star-Telegram and Dallas Morning News.
  • TCU Office of Admission reports the number of applications received from California as of Jan. 13 at 1,618. A year ago, that number was 768 and, in 2009, 580.
  • Victor Neil, director of website management for TCU, also discovered some interesting numbers. On Dec. 31, 2010, there were 6,599 visits to the TCU homepage. On Jan. 1, 2011, that number grew to 115,769 and 92% of those were new visitors. On Jan. 2, there were 17,876 visits.  When the TCU website streamed coverage of the Jan. 16 victory celebration, 1,139 streams were counted, including 19 in Europe and South America.
  • TCU received two handwritten notes from the Little Sisters of the Poor in Pittsburgh, PA, in recognition of donations received from TCU backers (and prompted by Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee's rude comments in the press).  The nun who wrote added, “Congratulations to TCU in the Rose Bowl win!”
  • Among the several messages received from residents of Southern California were these:
“Thank you, Texas Christian University! Your full page ad in the Los Angeles Times took my breath away. Never has a university thanked us for participating in the Rose Bowl. Class always rises to the top … the Horned Frogs are real class.”

“It was so good to see your full page appreciation spread in the Los Angeles Times. We are West Coast people and would have preferred a PAC Ten team in the Rose Bowl. I was to tell you with your team’s class and sportsmanship, you changed a few minds.”

“I am a native Angeleno and have followed the Rose Bowl games for 50+ years. I cannot remember another Rose Bowl participant making such a gracious and public thank you for the privilege of participating in the Rose Bowl. The ad says volumes about your university and the outstanding example this shows to TCU students, alumni and others.”


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