With the help of an outside advertising agency, Tech started by identifying its two biggest challenges. "Because of our academic mission, we draw students from all over the country, so there's not a built-in affinity like you'd find at some other places where everybody grows up thinking about their state university," says Paul Griffin, Senior Associate Athletic Director. "Second, with all the professional sports teams in the Atlanta metropolitan area, there are a lot of options for fans. We realized that as the only Division I-A program in the city, we needed to distinguish ourselves and find ways to cut through the clutter."

With that in mind, the athletic department has begun sponsoring a series of events designed to promote the image of Georgia Tech as Atlanta's "hometown team." They're also using the slogan, "the team that plays in your own backyard." The objective is to bring the Yellow Jackets and the community closer together, and to do so in ways that are unique enough to garner publicity and public interest for the program.

One such event, capitalizing on the "your own backyard" theme, transported Georgia Tech football directly to a community neighborhood. A local alumnus who happened to have a large lawn and a yellow and white house (matching school colors) offered up his property to be transformed into a miniature replica of Bobby Dodd Stadium the day before an October Thursday night game. The university set up end zones, field markings, sidelines with benches, and even scaled-down goal posts on the lawn, and hosted an event that was something like a block party. Children from the neighborhood spent the afternoon playing touch football while attendees enjoyed music and barbecue provided by the athletic department.

Television crews showed up, and the event was featured on ESPN during halftime of the following night's game. "It was something really different, so it was noticed by a lot more people than a typical TV or print ad would have been, plus it was a lot less expensive," Griffin says. "Even if you factor in all the manpower and the work we did to mow and paint the lawn, install the goal posts, and everything else, it was probably about half the cost of a quarter-page ad in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution."

Griffin says activities like these sell the idea that Georgia Tech is a part of the local fabric, and help to welcome more non-alumni into the fold. Tech teams have also stepped up their community service work to become more visible, with football players participating in a Habitat for Humanity "blitz build," and mascot Buzz accompanying marching band members to an area children's hospital for an appearance and concert. "Any time that you engage in community service, it not only has the service component, which is wonderful, but it also helps to create a distinct identity that separates you from the other teams or groups out there," Griffin says.

The long-term plan is to undertake a project or event about once per month. Ideas currently on the horizon include an Easter egg hunt at the football stadium for families and the team—"We think 250-pound Easter egg hunters will certainly garner some media attention," says Griffin—and outfitting a basketball court at a public park in the image of Alexander Memorial Coliseum for an event similar to the football one held last fall.

Georgia Tech has also been working to solve its tailgating problem. Since the campus's urban setting offers no large parking areas or open fields, the athletic department kicked off Wreck Fest last year to create a tailgate-like atmosphere before football games. Fans were invited to visit the top level of a parking deck near the stadium before each home game, where attractions included live entertainment, autograph sessions with athletes, and skills challenges, like dunk contests featuring the basketball team and caged batting practice with the baseball team.

"We love being in a big city, but our environment has definitely led us to take a different approach to certain things," says Griffin. "We've recognized how important it is to distinguish yourself in a crowded marketplace, and to do so in ways that really bring people in."