Fox Sports N.O. airs campaign inspired by students

Last year, students in a Freeman School marketing class worked with officials from Fox Sports New Orleans to help develop a marketing campaign for the network’s coverage of Louisiana high school sports. This year, Fox Sports New Orleans showcased those ideas in a series of promotional spots that aired throughout the 2014 high school football season.

The ads were written and produced by Fox Sports New Orleans’ marketing staff, but Director of Marketing Mary Hyink says the spots were based in large part on ideas the students came up with. On the creative side, the students proposed a campaign that focused on the legacy of Louisiana high school sports and suggested using NFL stars who played high school football in Louisiana to promote the network’s coverage. Fox Sports New Orleans ended up engaging  former NFL stars Jake Delhomme (above) and Randall Gay (below), both former Louisiana high school standouts, to promote its game of the week. Several Freeman students even participated in filming the spots. On the social media side, Fox Sports New Orleans adopted the students’ idea for a hashtag campaign — #wheredyageaux — to tap into the school pride that’s at the heart of the high school athletics experience. Hyink says the spots aired more than 300 times during football season.

“We had a great experience working with Tulane last year,” said Hyink. “Their ideas really helped shape our 2014 campaign.”

Hyink says Fox Sports New Orleans was so pleased with last year’s project, they plan to work with a class of Freeman students on a new project focused on its New Orleans Pelicans coverage in the spring 2015 semester.