Three talented undergraduate student groups recently wowed FOX Sports executives in their final presentations for FOX Sports University.
Partnered with prestigious academic and athletic institutions across the country, FOX Sports University brings real-world experience to the classroom.
The students rose to the challenge presenting campaigns to promote the upcoming FIFA World Cup on the mobile app FOX Sports GO.
Group 1—Justin Jonas, Cole Kundich, and Kerissa Sheley—presented ideas on creating unique content based on their findings from fan surveys. Their focus was to show the beauty of the game and to give the fans a voice.
Group 2—Ashlee Eakin, Matthew Gorlick, and Adam King—took a fun and artistic approach to their ad suggestions. They also emphasized the importance of incentivizing extended streaming and provided some ideas on how to achieve that.
Closing the presentations was group 3—Chase Carey, Linden Moore, and Teddy Shen. The trio took a more analytic approach, using primary and secondary research to develop specific recommendations for enhanced application features that would make the experience more accessible to a global audience.
“It's these kinds of awesome, real-time industry collaborations that differentiate our student experience," said Whitney Wagoner, director of the UO Lundquist College Warsaw Sports Marketing Center.
FOX Sports representatives met with students during fall term to introduce the project and were pleased with the level of follow-up, attention to detail, thoroughness, and creativity presented.
“This one has been pretty special so far," said Marc Sommer, vice president of strategy and consumer insights for FOX Sports, speaking about the collaboration with the University of Oregon. “Wow, that was really impressive."
“I have never seen a school that was so supportive of students," added Oscar Vargas, FOX University alum and current FOX Sports senior analyst of strategy and consumer insights, specifically praising how the student groups were provided information, but expanded on it—even holding their own focus groups.
FOX Sports Senior Vice President of Strategies and Creative Partnerships Barbara Blangiardi, an Oregon alumna who serves on both the Warsaw Center Advisory Board and School of Journalism and Communication Board, described the experience as, “personally delightful to me."
“It keeps us in touch with the best and the brightest," she said. “Not only the students themselves, but their ideas, how they consume media, and their points of view about sports."
Blangiardi also praised each group, encouraging them to use the connections and resources a University of Oregon education provides.
“This university changed my life," she said. “And if you stay involved, it will change your life, too."