Five questions with JC Whidden

The director of marketing discusses planning promotions, favorite day on the job and more

May 30, 2018

Editor’s note: Every Wednesday throughout the offseason, we’ll catch up with volleyball support staff for five questions.

JC Whidden | Director of Marketing

Q: What are some of the main objectives you have when you are trying to market this volleyball team?

WHIDDEN: “I would say when it comes to marketing for volleyball, you are ultimately trying to create a good, family-friendly atmosphere that’s fun for the fans. But one that also can be fun for the student-athletes. So, when we market volleyball, we are looking for new ways to get families into the door, make it fun for them and make sure they are going to have a good experience.

“Volleyball is a fast-paced sport so it is fun to watch, and we want to make that enjoyable in the stands when the action is not happening. If that means a face painter or crafts or autograph sessions, anything that will help the experience for the fans is what we are trying to do.”

Q: What is your favorite promo you have pulled off since arriving at Virginia Tech?

WHIDDEN: “I would say one of my favorite promotions that we have done, unfortunately, we didn’t do it last year due to timing, was the haunted castle promotion. That entails when we do a trick-or-treat theme around the concourse and we have a costume parade. It’s one of my personal favorites because you get to see all of the kids and adults dress up and everyone seems to have a good time celebrating Halloween at the volleyball match. I think it is fun for everyone involved I feel like.”

Q: Sticking with promos, when does all of the brainstorming take place within your staff?

WHIDDEN: “We are actually right in the middle of brainstorming and trying to lay out a promotional plan for the 2018 season. You start thinking about it a little bit as soon as the season ends because you want to recap what you did the previous year and figure out what was successful, what wasn’t and how you can build upon the things that were successful. So, you take that and then you kind of sit on it, and then in April and May, you really start to figure out what promotions you want to do, how it layouts and then the schedule with what things you want to continue to do. You want to have some consistency from year to year but then you want to throw in one or two new things that will hopefully get fans excited to come back to Cassell [Coliseum] in the fall.

“We are definitely in the middle of that right now with trying to piece it all together. And that includes the theme promotion, the giveaways that go along with that, what in-game promotions go along with that and what videoboard features we want to have in the venue, whether they are specific to a particular promotion or not. So, there’s a lot of thinking that goes into it with all of the pieces and how they all fit together. That way when you get into the season, you’re just executing your plan and not piecing it all together last minute.”

Q: Is the preseason photo shoot, video shoot day one of your favorite days of the year?

WHIDDEN: “Yeah, absolutely. Anything that gets me not in front of my computer and in a situation where I can spend time with our student-athletes is always enjoyable, especially with our volleyball student-athletes. So, that it one of my favorite days of the year. We have already taken photos of them and it was a really great afternoon, they always have so much energy and are so much fun to be around.

“We will set up another day to do the videoboard content. It’s particularly fun with the girls just because it is something extra special that they get to do that teams six to seven years ago didn’t get to do. So, they are very appreciative of it. It is a very fun experience that incoming freshmen aren’t used to, so you can see that they are wide-eyed about it. And the returners are used to it, so they are more relaxed and are having more fun with it – and that’s how you can get the best content from it. Then later we will share that with the fans, plus it’s just a great opportunity for the support staff to spend time with the student-athletes, we are not always with them day in and day out, and for them to get to know us better and vice versa.”

Q: With working at Florida, Iowa State and Oregon, what makes Virginia Tech so unique?

WHIDDEN: “I mean, it’s cliché to say it and everyone says it, but it’s certainly a special environment here in Blacksburg. I think it’s something that you could have at other universities, but Blacksburg makes it so unique, whether it’s because Blacksburg is so challenging to get in and out of with it not being a destination location, maybe. So, you are really trying to get here and you really want to be here. I think you can feel that from the staff and the student-athletes.

“Certainly the community is very welcoming and feels very home like. Everyone is just so happy to be here and doesn’t necessarily want to leave and are inclusive of everyone around them. It’s hard to describe and it’s super cliché but I would say it just has that special homey feeling. Yes, other universities say they have that, but something about it is different here and is tough to put into words.”

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