Ohio State lays claim to eight national championships, seven Heisman trophies, 35 Big Ten championships and 74 first-round NFL Draft picks. Few programs across the country can boast such a résumé. But in today's world of high-stakes recruiting, a winning tradition and first-class facilities will only get you so far.
“Our overall goal when we develop content is to create the compelling narrative,” Ohio State Athletics Graphic Designer Samuel Silverman told Eleven Warriors. “On one side, it's evident Ohio State's football program has such an historic and decorated past, as well as the incredible success we've had since coach [Urban] Meyer was hired, and we feel it's important to address that notion, whether it's on-the-field or off-the-field success.
“But, on the other side, we live in the now, and our target demographic — primarily high school prospects — is engulfed in the digital age [and] consumes content in mere seconds.”
Today's younger generation spends most of its day scrolling through Twitter and Facebook, liking pictures on Instagram, watching videos on Snapchat and Vine and running around all of creation chasing Pokemon. And as a result, college programs across the country are tasked with using those mediums to capture the attention of recruits and fans alike in their own creative ways.
Last month, seemingly every school sent out graphics that depicted recruits as rare and powerful Pokemon, but Ohio State opted for a more unique take that got millions of impressions on Facebook and Twitter.
Captain Barrett has had enough of all these games #GrindTime #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/iMFNW6uByz
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) July 14, 2016
“We definitely try to stay on top of pop culture and the latest trends to appeal to that generation. It would be stupid not to. We just try to think of different ways to creatively incorporate and promote that information,” Silverman said. “[Take] Pokemon Go, for example … We saw a bunch of content circulating around that theme, but [director of creative and new media] Zach Swartz had a great idea of doing something different, which inspired him to shoot that hilarious video of 'The Water Flip' and 'Pokemon Go,' with J.T. [Barrett] 'knocking out' both of those trends.
“Even though the message was focusing on what's most important, which is the upcoming season, it also sheds a more comedic light on our players and how we wanted to differentiate ourselves from a content perspective.”
The most important part of his job, Silverman said, is conveying a message that promotes the Ohio State brand in the most optimal method possible, whether it be through print, digital graphics or engaging videos. That's why the program increased its video presence in recent weeks, offering fans a chance to listen to mic'd up coaches or watching freshmen lose their black stripes.
Very lucky to have a coach like Larry Johnson on this staff to push our team past THE EDGE to become ELITE pic.twitter.com/9eD0FiEd0i
— Urban Meyer (@OSUCoachMeyer) August 17, 2016
“I know coach Meyer has had recruits tell him that we send them some of the most interesting and exciting graphics they've ever seen. But it's not just graphics,” he said. “We want to bring the Ohio State experience to recruits all over the country — if not the world — to show them how amazing it is to be a part of a program like this, and video is the best way in terms of live-action content. You can get exponentially more information across through video than any graphic can do, and it evokes much more emotion as you see both the funny and down-to-business side of people around the program.
“Recruits absolutely love it, and say so when they speak to our coaches,” Silverman continued. “And when they can manage to get to Columbus for a visit, they see our brand and everything we've been sending them transpire into real-life interactions that just makes everything as one cohesive experience. That experience is that we're a family, and as a family, we support and push one another to reach our truest potential and give each other tools to help us be successful.”
Understanding that social media fads oftentimes fade as quickly as they arrive, Silverman and company are always looking for new ways to facilitate their content. One example includes the 2016 team schedule poster, which brought the poster to life through video when downloaded to a computer or hand-held device.
“I think this is just the tip of the iceberg,” he said. “Let's just say we see a lot of potential with augmented and virtual reality.”
In this day and age of instant communication, it's hard to truly measure the graphic department's impact on recruiting. But the ability to capture a top prospect's attention through social media provides Meyer and his staff a leg up on the competition — as if it was needed.
