April 04, 2025

Branding and Marketing Your Program

42 minutes

Ty Gipson and Chris Doelle

Season 5 Episode 5

In this episode, Austin Vandegrift Head Football Coach and Athletic Coordinator, Drew Sanders, interviews Waterboy Graphics owner, Ty Gipson and Fresh Media Works founder Chris Doelle. They discuss sports branding and marketing strategies for high school athletic programs.

Key Takeaways

Consistent branding across physical and digital touchpoints is crucial for building program identity

Start small with impactful branding elements, focusing on high-visibility areas first

Podcasting and social media can humanize teams and engage the community when used strategically

Collaborative approaches between visual/physical branding and digital content creation are most effective

Apparently, Texas Tech's Joey McGuire played a role in everyone's career

Topics

Origins

Waterboy founded by Ty Gipson in 2006, formalized in 2015

Inspired by Ty's background in Disney marketing and love of sports

Aimed to bring professional-level branding to high school athletics

Early partnership with Under Armor's high school sponsorship program accelerated growth

Lone Star Gridiron was founded in 2004 by Chris Doelle and started as a podcast.

LSG was the first football podcast in history

Grew into one of one of the top sites for Texas high school news and information

Founded Lone Star Podcast Network in 2019

Impact of Visual Branding on School Culture

Transforms student attitudes from destructive to protective of facilities

Increases school pride among athletes and general student body

Creates photo opportunities and social media engagement points

Unifies messaging across athletic facilities and broader campus

Cost-Effective Branding Strategies

Focus on high-impact, high-visibility areas first (e.g. main hallway, weight room)

Use cost-effective materials like corrugated plastic for cut-out logos

Implement partial wall graphics or stripes instead of full coverage

Leverage different product options to fit various budgets

Digital Marketing for High School Sports

Podcasting serves as cornerstone for content creation

Utilize platform-specific strategies:

TikTok/YouTube Shorts/Instagram Reels for visibility

Twitter for real-time updates

Facebook for parent/sponsor engagement

Maintain consistent messaging and branding across all platforms

Branding Trends in High School Athletics

Moving towards cleaner, simpler "tone-on-tone" designs

Increasing use of dimensional elements and LED lighting

Focus on creating a singular, consistent logo and brand identity

Integrating mottos/sayings consistently across visual and audio branding

Collaborative Branding Approaches

Align physical branding (Waterboy) with digital content (Fresh Media Works)

Ensure consistent messaging from facility entrance through to social media

Create synergy between visual installations and digital storytelling

Next Steps

Coaches should take the first step in initiating branding efforts, even if starting small

Reach out to experts like Waterboy Graphics or Fresh Media Works for consultations

Consider a free branding audit to identify areas for improvement

Explore coaches show podcasts as a cost-effective way to tell program stories and engage community

Texas High School Coaches Association

@THSCAcoaches

@LSPN100

@ChrisDoelle

Limited sponsorship opportunities are available on the show. Contact Chris Doelle at (713) 269-4620 or email at cdoelle@gmail.com.

Subscribe on these great platforms:

Direct download link

Produced by Fresh Media Works

View all episodes

By Chris Doelle

4.6

1616 ratings

April 04, 2025

Branding and Marketing Your Program

42 minutes

Ty Gipson and Chris Doelle

Season 5 Episode 5

Key Takeaways

Consistent branding across physical and digital touchpoints is crucial for building program identity

Start small with impactful branding elements, focusing on high-visibility areas first

Podcasting and social media can humanize teams and engage the community when used strategically

Collaborative approaches between visual/physical branding and digital content creation are most effective

Apparently, Texas Tech's Joey McGuire played a role in everyone's career

Topics

Origins

Waterboy founded by Ty Gipson in 2006, formalized in 2015

Inspired by Ty's background in Disney marketing and love of sports

Aimed to bring professional-level branding to high school athletics

Early partnership with Under Armor's high school sponsorship program accelerated growth

Lone Star Gridiron was founded in 2004 by Chris Doelle and started as a podcast.

LSG was the first football podcast in history

Grew into one of one of the top sites for Texas high school news and information

Founded Lone Star Podcast Network in 2019

Impact of Visual Branding on School Culture

Transforms student attitudes from destructive to protective of facilities

Increases school pride among athletes and general student body

Creates photo opportunities and social media engagement points

Unifies messaging across athletic facilities and broader campus

Cost-Effective Branding Strategies

Focus on high-impact, high-visibility areas first (e.g. main hallway, weight room)

Use cost-effective materials like corrugated plastic for cut-out logos

Implement partial wall graphics or stripes instead of full coverage

Leverage different product options to fit various budgets

Digital Marketing for High School Sports

Podcasting serves as cornerstone for content creation

Utilize platform-specific strategies:

TikTok/YouTube Shorts/Instagram Reels for visibility

Twitter for real-time updates

Facebook for parent/sponsor engagement

Maintain consistent messaging and branding across all platforms

Branding Trends in High School Athletics

Moving towards cleaner, simpler "tone-on-tone" designs

Increasing use of dimensional elements and LED lighting

Focus on creating a singular, consistent logo and brand identity

Integrating mottos/sayings consistently across visual and audio branding

Collaborative Branding Approaches

Align physical branding (Waterboy) with digital content (Fresh Media Works)

Ensure consistent messaging from facility entrance through to social media

Create synergy between visual installations and digital storytelling

Next Steps

Coaches should take the first step in initiating branding efforts, even if starting small

Reach out to experts like Waterboy Graphics or Fresh Media Works for consultations

Consider a free branding audit to identify areas for improvement

Explore coaches show podcasts as a cost-effective way to tell program stories and engage community

Texas High School Coaches Association

@THSCAcoaches

@LSPN100

@ChrisDoelle

Limited sponsorship opportunities are available on the show. Contact Chris Doelle at (713) 269-4620 or email at cdoelle@gmail.com.

Subscribe on these great platforms:

Direct download link

Produced by Fresh Media Works

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