The Cal U Marching Band was like my second family in college, but I noticed that numbers were dwindling year by year. While the existing branding was beautiful and modern, there was never a solid attempt at recruitment other than attending high school games and passing info along.
My solution to this was to rethink the materials passed out to high schools, showcasing how unique the personality of the band can be. This was the band that knew how to have fun and work together to create something awesome!
social media presence
The most important route for outreach these days is social media. If you don't have a strong social media presence, some people might not even know you exist.
I wanted to start the project by creating a 'refreshed' approach to the band social media account. The goal was to create eye-catching graphics that would also give viewers a taste of the playfulness, while also clearly communicating important information.
contact cards
When I was in high school, members of the Cal U Band came to one of our football games and passed out contact forms, having us fill out plan sheets of paper that didn't really give us an idea of what we were signing up for.
These new contact cards would give them an idea of our quirkiness, while also keeping a professional face. The idea was to keep the existing logo, but have it askew, and provide a 'hook', "We're not your average marching band.", to draw in curiosity and create interest.
postcards
As Peer Instructors in the band, we were always tasked to contact high schoolers to try to recruit them into the band. While phone calls work, sometimes people just don't like to answer unknown callers! Mail advertising is more affective in the long-run because it gives them a visual for who is contacting them.
Every Peer Instructor would receive postcards to mail out to their recruitment list, including a fun opportunity to doodle on the back. This gives the postcard personality and a hands-on feel that makes the band more personable and approachable. This would also give the Graduate Assistant a filler task if extra recruitment materials are needed.
