With Syracuse’s move to the Atlantic Coast Conference, the university’s teams will now be playing up and down the Eastern Seaboard, not just in the Northeast. This move, however, will not change SU’s marketing campaign as New York’s College Team, said Daryl Gross, SU’s athletic director.

Although the move to the ACC may mean SU plays fewer games in the Carrier Dome and New York City’s Madison Square Garden, Gross is optimistic that the ACC will still provide ample opportunities for SU teams to play in the city.

‘The Big East Tournament, the ACC Tournament was very, very important to us — to be in New York is what I’m saying. I just think that would be great,’ he said. ‘And we’ve had those conversations, and there’s an interest from the ACC to want to have that rotation in New York, so that’s really important.’

And having games in New York City is incredibly important to some of the alumni who live there. There are about 43,000 alumni who live in the city’s metropolitan region, said Scott McDowell, director of communications at SU Lubin House.

SU will always market itself as New York’s College Team, Gross said, because of the alumni outlet.

‘But the reason that will — at least as long as I’m here — will always be a campaign for us is because that’s our No. 1 alum stop for careers is in that area. And we should be there with the flag up,’ he said.

Gross said that as long as SU could continue to market itself in the city, they would because of the spotlight and fame of New York City.

‘It’s recruiting, it’s branding, it’s arguably the greatest city in the world,’ he said. ‘So why would we not take advantage of that.’

Kevin O’Neill, an advertising professor in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, said he thinks the move may both hurt and help the university’s marketing strategy.

‘I’m not sure it’s fatal, but I mean Madison Square Garden is the national cathedral of college basketball, and we were one of the archbishops,’ he said. ‘So you pull us out of that venue, that can’t be a good thing.’

But O’Neill said he is not sure if the bad necessarily outweighs the good because by joining the ACC, Syracuse University expand its footprint and expose itself to a highly populated area of the country.

Brian Spector, president of the SU Alumni Association, said that for alumni, the move to the ACC is both a loss and a gain. He said while SU games are scheduled less frequently in the Northeast against teams such as Georgetown and Connecticut, SU also gains some games in the region against teams such as Boston College and Maryland.

On the other hand, SU also has large alumni bases in areas such as Atlanta and South Florida, which would allow more alumni from those areas to attend games, he said.

Spector said he expects SU athletics will work in more games in the NYC area once the move to the ACC happens. He said he believes SU has a firm commitment to the fans in the area.

The chancellor has also received assurance that some ACC games will be played in the New York City metropolitan area, he said.

‘One would hope that would include in either a permanent or rotating basis all or part of the ACC tournament,’ he said. ‘There is also a belief of a firm commitment by Syracuse to try to continue to play a traditional rival, like St. John’s, in the New York City metropolitan area.’

Spector, a 1978 graduate of the Martin J. Whitman School of Management, said he thinks from a marketing standpoint, the move to the ACC will force SU to use creative outlets to keep the marketing strategy alive.

‘Always going to ramifications or downsides, so we may have to be more creative and find other ways,’ he said. ‘We have teams other than just football and basketball. Why can’t a lacrosse tournament be held again in New Jersey? We have a very large presence there.’

Eva Zaccaria, a 2010 Newhouse alumna, said she was initially surprised and upset with the move to the ACC. Zaccaria has attended every SU game and event at Madison Square Garden since she moved to New York City in December 2010.

‘I think it’s definitely going to be an adjustment period,’ she said. ‘There’s a lot more alumni in NYC area than there are in the South. Syracuse will obviously lose that home court advantage pretty strongly.’

Zaccaria said she doesn’t think many NYC alumni will travel very far to see games after the novelty wears off. Personally, she said she won’t be flying to any games, unless they are NCAA Tournament games.

She also said she is not sure if SU can maintain its current marketing strategy if they are not playing in games at MSG or the Pinstripe Bowl as much.

‘You can’t call yourself New York’s College Team if the only place you ever really play is upstate,’ she said. ‘I don’t really see them being able to maintain that.’

But in the end, O’Neill, the advertising professor, said there’s one marketing strategy for sport teams that outweighs all the others.

‘I mean the most reliable marketing program for a sports team is winning,’ he said. ‘You can’t beat winning for a marketing strategy.’

medelane@syr.edu

— Sports Editor Michael Cohen and Asst. News Editor Jon Harris contributed reporting to this article.  

Published on October 1, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Meghin: medelane@syr.edu | @meghinwithani