ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, September 8, 1996 TAG: 9609090011
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG
SOURCE: ANGIE WATTS STAFF WRITER
Four years ago, the Virginia Tech Hokies couldn't buy time in the spotlight.
After a 2-8 football season in 1992, in which the Hokies lost seven of eight games in the fourth quarter, fans and foes alike were calling for the Hokies' collective heads.
My, how times have changed.
Tech finished 10-2 in 1995, capping the season with a Sugar Bowl victory and a No.10 ranking by The Associated Press, the highest in school history.
Now, Tech can hardly keep up with the media frenzy, promotions and hype surrounding its program.
The spotlight is everywhere - and most recently, it's popping out from behind the glowing Pepsi sign on vending machines and stacked on grocery shelves across the state.
Head to the nearest Harris Teeter or Wade's, Kroger or Wal-Mart to find Virginia Tech's home football schedule emblazoned across the side of Pepsi cans, with the telephone number for the season ticket office around the top rim.
The Pepsi-Cola Co. printed 125,000 cases of Pepsi with the Hokies' schedule. That's 3million cans spread across Virginia and into the bordering states of Maryland, North Carolina and West Virginia.
"They're everywhere," said Tim East, the director of sports marketing at Tech. "We knew Pepsi was a big supporter of us; they always have been. So I called up my Pepsi contact and started talking about this in June."
East said Pepsi had actually contacted him with the idea of creating a commemorative Sugar Bowl bottle, but complications with the bowl's sponsor, Nokia, canceled the idea. A commemorative Dr Pepper bottle highlighted Tech's Peach Bowl victory over North Carolina State in 1986.
Tech's athletic department did not put any money into the Pepsi promotion. Instead, the Oct. 26 home game against Pittsburgh will be "Pepsi Kids' Day," where spectators younger than 18 will pay just $8 for admission, rather than the usual $22. Tickets must be purchased the day of the game.
```Pepsi Kids' Day' will serve them quite well," East said. for them ... to help some underprivileged kids attend the game, too," East said.
Pepsi-Cola already has the contract for all of the vending machines on the Tech campus, and its advertising dominates the Hokies' scoreboard as well. The main sign under the scoreboard is for Pepsi, with the two smaller signs on the side representing Taco Bell and Pizza Hut - both owned by Pepsi.
"This isn't really a new marketing idea," said Kelly Crawford, a market development representative for Pepsi in Roanoke. "We've done quite a few panels before. But we knew this was something we could offer up to the university ... a way of reinforcing our partnership with the university."
The phone number printed on the can is (800)VATECH4, the same number used in all other avenues of advertising. Using the same phone number makes it impossible to determine the number of season tickets that have been ordered as a result of the Pepsi can. But East said one thing is sure: The orders are pouring in.
According to Tech ticketmaster Tom McNeer, Tech had sold 15,427 season tickets as of Wednesday, up from 13,912 last year. While, admittedly, a big reason for the jump is the team's success on the field, East said he hopes ticket sales have been increased by off-the-field activity as well.
"We've given a big overall effort to increasing exposure," East said. "But obviously the Pepsi cans are going to help us reinforce our schedule, and will pay big dividends in the long run. Having our entire home schedule on 3million cans ... it's incredible."
LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: Gene Dalton. The Pepsi-Cola Co. printed 125,000 cases ofby CNBPepsi with the Hokies' schedule. That translates into 3million cans
spread across four states. color.