There a advertising campaigns and then there are advertising campaigns that are bad ideas. There was one in Texas that had the face of Cleveland Browns quarterback Colt McCoy. The billboard didn't last. On Statesman.com: The big billboard put up last week by Grande Communications in San Marcos using former University of Texas quarterback Colt McCoy’s face to sell...
New Browns quarterback Colt McCoy led Texas to a victory over Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 5, 2009.There a advertising campaigns and then there are advertising campaigns that are bad ideas. There was one in Texas that had the face of Cleveland Browns quarterback Colt McCoy. The billboard didn't last.
The big billboard put up last week by Grande Communications in San Marcos using former University of Texas quarterback Colt McCoy’s face to sell TV and Internet hookups to college students came down Monday after unpopular demand.
The problem is that somebody over at Grande Communications forgot that San Marcos, home of Texas State University, is Bobcat country. McCoy went to Texas.
The billboard advertising Grande’s package for students showed McCoy holding a football and said, “Hey Bobcats! Get Hooked on Grande like Colt McCoy. Get the Back 2 School Bundle.”
Making matters worse is that Grande has its headquarters in San Marcos. So it’s not like the company didn’t know there were a few Texas State fans lurking about.
It was the “get hooked” part that bugged Bobcat fans.
“It was just inappropriate for the market they were working on,” said Texas State alum Rick Koch , who runs the website
BobcatFans.com . “To tell Texas State students to get hooked, that just wasn’t going to work for us.”
So the billboard came down.
Two cents
I'm not sure when they started doing football previews, but Nationallampoon.com previewed the Cleveland Browns. It wasn't funny, and it wasn't nice.
It’s arguable that the Cleveland Browns are the most consistent team in the division. They usually hover between two and six wins, scare nearly no one, but always pull off at least one impossible division upset. They have trouble scoring points and stopping anyone. They have a new football czar who everyone expects will get back into coaching very soon. Add up also the three legit playoff contenders in the division and it looks like apocalyptic doom in Northeast Ohio. Could there be a shocking turnaround for one of the league’s yearly cupcakes?
And the website even gives the Cleveland Browns a worst case scenario.
Jake Delhomme is even worse than in Carolina and Colt McCoy is forced to start too early. Shaun Rogers beats Mangini to death during the third quarter of the New England game. Josh Cribbs announces on a live-television event that he’s going to the Dolphins. 1-15.