Hey Grande, Take It Down!
July 31, 2010
For those of you who have not yet seen it, Grande Communications recently put up a billboard on Hopkins in San Marcos that reads “Hey Bobcats! Get “Hooked” on Grande like Colt McCoy”. BobcatFans immediately started receiving complaints from Texas State students and alumni calling the billboard insulting. We at BobcatFans agree.
Were it not for the fact that first line of this billboard reads “Hey Bobcats”, this billboard could be explained as part of a statewide advertising campaign featuring Colt McCoy which was meant to appeal to San Marcos locals but which was unfortunately placed in Bobcat Country near Texas State’s athletic facilities. However, seeing as how the first line of the advertisement reads straight to Bobcat fans, Grande is clearly targeting Texas State students with this campaign.
In a story by Randy Stevens of the San Marcos Daily Record, Grande’s general manager Hutch Bass explained why Colt McCoy was being used to advertise to Bobcats. “He’s part of a state-wide campaign and research showed that Colt has a tremendous statewide appeal as a Texan who is going to start his NFL career. We have also found out through research that a lot of Texas State fans are UT fans, and visa versa. There’s a significant overlap, and it’s a case where both fans wants each others’ teams to succeed.”
Stevens calls the market research “a tough point to argue with”. We at BobcatFans disagree with Mr. Stevens. In addition, we find the market research tough to agree with. When a billboard is placed in a community and residents of that community immediately start contacting media with complaints, it is a sure sign that the market research was either flawed or non-existent. BobcatFans, the Daily Record, and Grande have all heard the complaints of many residents. Instead of this billboard swaying consumers to switch to Grande, it has convinced some to boycott Grande. Any advertising that has consumers calling for a boycott is obviously poorly researched.
“But for those who choose to bleed solely Maroon and Gold, acts like those are carnal sins. If you’re a true Bobcat fan, they’ll argue, then you shouldn’t care what’s going on at Texas or A&M,” Stevens said. “Does that mean we shouldn’t watch college bowl games, those of which Texas State is not yet eligible to compete in?”
Watching college bowl games is something all football fans do, and there is nothing wrong with doing so. What we have a problem with is the treatment of Bobcats like they are Longhorns. Students are at Texas State because they chose Texas State, so to treat them like they are Longhorn wannabe’s is very offensive to them and to the University.
“That sort of fervor might make sense in the future when Texas State does make the jump to the FBS level,” Stevens said. “Until then, getting upset about a former UT quarterback on a San Marcos billboard really is much ado about nothing.”
Mr. Stevens you obviously don’t get it. Or you do get it but the Daily Record does not want to upset a large company with big advertising dollars. Either way you are perpetuating the problem by telling students, fans and alumni of Texas State that they are foolish for being insulted and we at BobcatFans find that insulting in and of itself.
The fact that there has been enough of an uproar over this billboard for you to investigate the matter and for you to subsequently write an article about it proves that there is a problem. The fact that you are now denying that there is a problem makes the Daily Record no better than Grande Communications when it comes to understanding its student market.
If BobcatFans has to stand alone in defending Bobcat Country, so be it. Our “market research” shows Bobcat Pride is no longer going to tolerate being slighted and disregarded.
Whether Texas State plays UT in football or not, telling Bobcats to “get hooked” like Colt McCoy is a foolish way to advertise to them. It shows Bobcats that you do not know them at all and belittles them by assuming that they love the Longhorns. This sort of advertising would never be tolerated in other Texas college towns, and it will not be tolerated in Bobcat Country.
Those who have the power are the ones who are willing to stand. If we as Bobcats let this slide then we have no one to blame but ourselves.
Hey Grande, Bobcats will never “Get Hooked”. This is Bobcat Country, make this right and take down the billboard.
Bobcats, tell Grande what you think.
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Who writes for bobcat fans because honestly you should go back to college or maybe high school to work on those critical thinking and analyzing skills.
-They were aiming for statewide appeal(whats the most effective way we can make our money stetch)
-Hey Bobcats! (again with making the money stretch they make one advertisment and put it up everywhere only chaning a few small lines to ‘personalize’ it to the area)
-Colt McCoy IS somewhat of a state-wide hero(Weather or not you go to UT you have to respect the man and the fact is that many people in the san marcos area like UT better then they like state)
-You act almost like this is propaganda brainwashing the Texas State population into not being loyal. Fact is there are a good amount of students that don’t bleed maroon and gold when it comes to our athletics or our school in general.
-If seeing a billboard makes you waiver in your pride for State, you obviously aren’t the kind of caliber of person that needs to be in college.
-I’m sure the money grande loses from the few die hard crazy people who ‘boycott’ using their services doesn’t nearly justify taking down a billboard for an expensive ad campaign that is probably making them much more money statewide if not in the san marcos area
bottom line is you guys are foolish for being insulted. Its a billboard. It doesn’t say “Hey you bobcat losers” Its just an ad campaign with a Texas semi-celebrity. This just seems to be your generic “under-appreciated” bobcat fanatic looking for a reason to complain, throw their weight around, and try to make themselves look and feel more important than they actually are.
-Signed-
A rational thinking die-hard Bobcat
A true Bobcat would never approve of a billboard telling them to “Get Hooked.” Go bleed orange somewhere else, and try not to make a mess on the way out.
@Boko- You are a fool. Do you think this kind of billboard would even fly if they put this up in College Station? You and me both know that it wouldn’t. Colt McCoy is not my Texas Hero. I could care less about him. This is San Marcos. Bobcat Country. I am so sick and tired of people and business especially in San Marcos who do not take pride in this school. This billboard is an insult. This billboard needs to go 30 miles north on I-35. It needs to be taken down immediately!
Wow. That is pretty insulting alright. Colt is ok, I guess, now that he’s in the NFL, but the “get hooked” line is really, really condescending.
I am a Grande customer, and they are likely to lose my business over this.
If this truly a statewide advertising champaign, I’ll like to know what the aggies say when they read “Hey Aggies! Get “Hooked” on Grande like Colt McCoy” on billboards in College Station.
tx state just deal with it all of you wear UT shirts anyways
Times are changing, PG. State students who “bleed orange” will continue to make themselves look more and more insecure as Texas State identity solidifies.
The advertisement was not a poor move. The verbiage: “Bobcats…Get Hooked” was the ridiculous part.
The verbage is not ridiculous. Get hooked, is not ridiculous. Pretending to bleed maroon and gold is. If you ARE as serious, and ARE fanboys. Then GO BACK TO THE TEXAS LEGISLATURE and not be TEXAS STATE. BE SAN MARCOS, BE WHO YOU ARE. You chose to do this to yourselves. You should BURN all UT gear, petition wal-mart, target, anyone that sells hook em horns gear. Pathetic, sad, wanna-be.
You lose.
Grande has been a long-time supporter of Texas State students and athletes and we will continue to do so. We sincerely respect the university and the community, and are proud to call San Marcos “home.” We apologize if the billboard featuring Colt McCoy was offensive to Bobcat fans. The billboard ad will be pulled today in an effort to show our respect to this community we love so much.
Grande