Waiting for the first session to start with Leslee Fetterhoff and Laurie Schueler
At the end of May I went to Morgantown for INTEGRATE, a fantastic 2-day conference hosted by West Virginia University’s Integrated Marketing Communications graduate program.
The most memorable session of the first day featured a case study about how PEMCO Insurance used The Power of 12 campaign to break through the advertising noise at the 2014 and 2015 Super Bowl games.
One of the coolest components of their campaign is a mobile yellfie booth. During football games and other events, scores of 12s (nickname for Seattle Seahawks fans) step into the yellfie booth to demonstrate their roaring team spirit.
After recording their yell in a slow-motion video, Seahawks fans can measure in decibels just how loud they can scream to support their team. The videos are then uploaded and shared via social media using the hashtag #yellfie. See for yourself below.
Considering we have the loudest college fan base in the country, we should figure out a way to get a yellfie booth. The cheers of Mountaineer fans on game day are so loud they can spook cattle as far away as Scotland. Give me a holler if you agree.
Scavenger hunt
After the first day of conference sessions, Laurie Schueler, Leslee Fetterhoff and I went about working on the conference scavenger hunt. First up, sharing a photo of the Mountaineer statue.
Standing tall and proud outside of the Mountainlair, it’s rumored the bronze statue is modeled after NBA legend and WVU grad Jerry West. I can definitely see a young Jerry West.
Next up, we had to share a photo of Martin Hall. I had my journalism classes here. It’s one of the beautiful old buildings that make up the much photographed Woodburn Circle.
The final 2 items on our scavenger hunt centered around the networking reception that evening at Milan Puskar Stadium Touchdown Terrace. We had to get photos of the Mountaineer Mascot and the football field.
Michael Garcia, a senior political science student from Fairmont, is donning the buckskins and coonskin hat for a second consecutive year. Typically ranked among the best college mascots, the Mountaineer represents the grit, pride and integrity of West Virginia University.
The Mountaineer mascot is so steeped in tradition the mere sight of him can trigger trills of John Denver’s “Country Roads.” At the reception, he even fired off his iconic rifle. This is always a crowd pleaser.
(Photo by WVU Reed College of Media photographer Clifton “David” Smith)
All in all, the first day was a success. I’ll definitely be going back next year and recommend it to anyone in public relations and marketing communications.
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