Some thought it was a parking sign. Or a call for donations. But for SMU Athletics, the arrow pointing up next to the familiar red Peruna has students and fans cheering "Pony Up!" Developed for football and basketball seasons, the logo has appeared on TV ads, T-shirts, hats, Dallas billboards and light post signs.
"We have to produce results on the field and on the court. But we also wanted to create a fun experience for our fans. That’s what led to Pony Up," Athletics Director Steve Orsini says. "We wanted a campaign to help rally the students and alumni."
Pony Up also spawned a YouTube video hit by the Hoboken-based comedian-musician team The Knuckleheads. The song by SMU alumni Michael Hannon (’91) and Spencer White (’90) drew 28,000 hits in only 11 days. "The best advertising is simple, and the Pony Up campaign gets people talking, because they don’t know what it is, and that’s OK," Spencer says. "I thought it was brilliant from the start." The duo was writing a song for basketball season when SMU Magazine went to press.
One reply on “Rallying The Masses”
Pony Up! Love the signs.