Ashley DeWalt - The Collectiv | LinkedIn (original) (raw)

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Articles by Ashley

The 3 Main Steps for a Successful Rebrand

When you’ve put your all into your business — time, money, energy — it can be challenging to realize, let alone accept,…

Reality Check: Major Pitfalls in Using VR for Single-Player Recruiting [#BigIdeas2017]

There’s plenty of brand-building and marketing opportunities where virtual reality (VR) and sports are concerned. Chief…

How Can Sports Brands Reach Gen Z with Virtual Reality? [#OneQuestion]

With each new generation, there seems to be an increasing pull toward the “latest and greatest” technology. With VR…

5 Misconceptions About Virtual Reality That Could Hinder Your Marketing Decisions

Whether you’re considering using virtual reality (VR) as an athletic-recruiting method or a brand-building tool, this…

Virtual Reality, Behind the Scenes: The Minnesota Golden Gophers Student-Athlete Experience

Imagine the rumbling roar of the crowd. The thrill of the players exiting the tunnel and bursting onto the field…

Activity

Experience & Education

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Volunteer Experience

Judge, Advisor & Lead Mentor

Stadia Ventures

Jun 2016 - Present8 years 6 months

Advisory Board

SXSW

Aug 2021 - Present3 years 4 months

Publications

ESPN/Sam Khan, SEC Blog Columnist April 27, 2017

Texas A&M's social media blitz began long before Thursday night.
Fans who ventured over to Texas A&M’s football Twitter feed or the account of the program’s social media arm, @AggieFBLife, have been inundated with NFL draft data during the last week. In the short term, the Aggies will use their social media resources to promote Garrett (and their other draft picks, of which there are likely to be at least four or five) and their recent draft success.
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PR Web January 25, 2017

Organizers of the first annual Summit on Sports Media, a daylong event featuring interactive panels and talks, have revealed the final speaker lineup. Co-produced by the Valenti School of Communication at the University of Houston and Leverage Sports Marketing, the Summit on Sports Media will gather national sports writers, leading digital marketing experts and tech leaders Tuesday, Jan. 31- just days before Super Bowl LI.
Attendees will learn how emerging trends, best practices and the…
Organizers of the first annual Summit on Sports Media, a daylong event featuring interactive panels and talks, have revealed the final speaker lineup. Co-produced by the Valenti School of Communication at the University of Houston and Leverage Sports Marketing, the Summit on Sports Media will gather national sports writers, leading digital marketing experts and tech leaders Tuesday, Jan. 31- just days before Super Bowl LI.
Attendees will learn how emerging trends, best practices and the latest advancements in technology are impacting the sports industry. The event will take place at the University of Houston central campus.
Other authors

Houston Chronicle/Mike D. Smith, Business Reporter December 2, 2016

Thanks to Houston-based FusionSports, the University of Minnesota's Golden Gophers have a unique tool to reach tech-savvy football recruits. Through a cinematic, virtual reality-based experience, viewers can go through practices, workouts and game days. FusionSports developed the program and its corresponding mobile app.
Other authors

SportTechie/Mark J. Burns, Senior Writer November 28, 2016

The Minnesota Golden Gophers football program has integrated virtual reality into its recruiting strategy through a partnership with Houston-based digital marketing agency FusionSports. Golden Gophers head coach Tracy Claeys said in a statement he wanted recruits to “understand what a day in the life of a Golden Gopher would be like,” and so, leveraging the technology was a logical next step.
Other authors

Forbes/Darren Heitner, Contributor November 23, 2016

The next time a college football player receives information concerning the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers football program, it may come in the form of a virtual reality experience. Working with digital marketing agency FusionSports, the Golden Gophers have captured behind-the-scenes footage of practices, workouts, game day, campus experiences and more, which will be packaged to provide a more immersive experience for fans, and more importantly recruits.
Other authors

Houston Chronicle/Chris Tomlinson, Business Columnist June 19, 2016

Teenagers are the toughest targets for a marketing firm to reach, let alone influence. Even top college football coaches find that star athletes rarely open their email, and regular mail ends up in the trash. Houston-based FusionSports, though, has figured out how to help coaches communicate with their top high school recruits using digital engagement techniques that are as revolutionary for teens as they are creepy for oldsters.
Other authors

USA Today Sports/Alan Siegel, Contributor December 5, 2015

Unlike a lot of college football coaches, Texas A&M University’s Kevin Sumlin (@CoachSumlin) is very active on Twitter. And if you want to see what being an Aggie is like, check out the team’s Instagram account (@aggiefblife).
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The Dallas Morning News/Kate Hairopoulos, Sportswriter February 26, 2015

Programs at Texas A&M University, Texas Christian University, Southern Methodist University and beyond are seeking fresh ways to author and communicate their stories to recruits through social media, going well beyond the traditional athletics messaging.
Texas Christian University debuted its TCU FTW social media brand last football season. The acronym refers to the commonly used “For The Win,” and also conveniently refers to the Horned Frogs’ hometown of Fort Worth. Both Texas Christian…
Programs at Texas A&M University, Texas Christian University, Southern Methodist University and beyond are seeking fresh ways to author and communicate their stories to recruits through social media, going well beyond the traditional athletics messaging.
Texas Christian University debuted its TCU FTW social media brand last football season. The acronym refers to the commonly used “For The Win,” and also conveniently refers to the Horned Frogs’ hometown of Fort Worth. Both Texas Christian University and Texas A&M University leveraged FusionSports Inc., a Houston-based agency, to launch the digital experiences.
Other authors
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Sports Illustrated/Andy Staples, Staff Writer February 16, 2015

Each program is also increasing its video content. Suddes wants the content production to make recruits feel as if they have 24/7 access to the program. Perhaps the best example of this concept at the moment is Texas A&M University’s AggieFBLife stream on YouTube, Instagram and Twitter.
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ESPN/Sam Khan, SEC Blog Columnist October 9, 2013

For years, Texas A&M University felt like its identity was defined by others. Whether it was other schools in the state of Texas or other members of the Aggies' former conference, the Big 12, some felt that the outside world viewed Texas A&M University through another lens.
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CBS Sports/Bruce Feldman, Senior College Football Columnist September 13, 2013

This weekend over six dozen of the bluest of the nation's blue-chip football recruits will descend on College Station. Most of them will already have a good feel for what the world of the Texas A&M University football player is like by the time they show up for Saturday's showdown with the University of Alabama. One of the reasons for that is AggieFBLife, a new social media hub Kevin Sumlin's program created that went live at the start of the season. It is the first fully responsive digital…
This weekend over six dozen of the bluest of the nation's blue-chip football recruits will descend on College Station. Most of them will already have a good feel for what the world of the Texas A&M University football player is like by the time they show up for Saturday's showdown with the University of Alabama. One of the reasons for that is AggieFBLife, a new social media hub Kevin Sumlin's program created that went live at the start of the season. It is the first fully responsive digital platform in college sports, built as a launchpad for exclusive lifestyle-driven content from inside the football program.
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SB Nation September 6, 2013

Texas A&M University has developed a new social media hub at aggiefblife.com, unlike anything we've seen from another university. Smart design and high-quality, original content will make AggieFBLife instantly popular with fans, students and recruits.
From a recruiting perspective, this approach to web development and social media is refreshing. Behind-the-scenes content should wow fans and help recruits understand what it's like to be an Aggie football player. So far the content is…
Texas A&M University has developed a new social media hub at aggiefblife.com, unlike anything we've seen from another university. Smart design and high-quality, original content will make AggieFBLife instantly popular with fans, students and recruits.
From a recruiting perspective, this approach to web development and social media is refreshing. Behind-the-scenes content should wow fans and help recruits understand what it's like to be an Aggie football player. So far the content is funny, engaging, and easy to digest. These are the tenets of social media. Lifestyle features such as Soundcloud practice playlists and players' top songs are really clever. The inclusion of gear from Adidas is another nice touch.
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ESPN May 25, 2010

Are you experiencing Ray Lewis to the fullest? For $4.99, you can purchase the Ray Lewis Workouts iPhone app and follow him through 26 different routines, listen to his audio clips, and brush up on your Ray Lewis trivia. For example, Ray Lewis likes Rottweilers. He has two of them!
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Sports Agent Blog/Darren Heitner, Contributor May 11, 2010

Ashley De Walt of FusionSports introduced me to a new iPhone/iTouch/iPad app called, The Official Ray Lewis Workout (RL52). I do not have an iPhone or an iPad (yet), and, I actually acquired my first iTouch only a few months ago. Besides consuming my day playing Words With Friends, I really love the device. I had been looking for some good apps to add to my collection, which made Ashley’s email catch my attention (in addition to the fact that I am a workout freak).
Other authors

Appolicious/Dan Kricke, Blogger May 2, 2010

The Ray Lewis Workouts app, on the other hand, actually seems like something Ray Lewis believes in. Not only is his name all over it, but, this app is soaking in his personal brand. Sure, the workout plan is the meat and potatoes of the app. There are 26 different workouts specializing in upper body, lower body or core strengthening. There’s so much more going on here.
Other authors
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Projects

Aug 2013 - Present

One for the first campaigns (AggieFBLife) with a football program, the Texas A&M University football program’s highly touted and successful rebrand helped position my business to land new marketing campaigns with other notable university athletic programs.
• 40,000,000+ impressions across all social channels
• 87% increase in ranked recruiting class over 18-month span
• A&M rebrand featured in ESPN, ESPNU, NBC Sports, USA Today, College Gameday, and more
Kevin Sumlin…
One for the first campaigns (AggieFBLife) with a football program, the Texas A&M University football program’s highly touted and successful rebrand helped position my business to land new marketing campaigns with other notable university athletic programs.
• 40,000,000+ impressions across all social channels
• 87% increase in ranked recruiting class over 18-month span
• A&M rebrand featured in ESPN, ESPNU, NBC Sports, USA Today, College Gameday, and more
Kevin Sumlin, Head Coach: “After vetting several companies, we knew FusionSports had the experience and proven success to help our football program set the trend in recruiting then and now.”
Services performed for this engagement: Ideation, brand identity, design, environmental graphic design, consulting, strategy, social listening, influencer research, analytics, content creation, video production, photography, training and support, responsive web design and development, mobile app design and development.

Jan 2018 - May 2018

This course will include the application of marketing principles and concepts in the sports industry. It includes sponsorships, branding, promotions, public relations, licensing, and sports consumer research and behavior. Emphasis will include the foundations of consumer behavior and sport marketing planning. The course includes reviewing the design and implementation of marketing plans for the integration of product, pricing, promotion, distribution, sales, sponsorship, and advertising of…
This course will include the application of marketing principles and concepts in the sports industry. It includes sponsorships, branding, promotions, public relations, licensing, and sports consumer research and behavior. Emphasis will include the foundations of consumer behavior and sport marketing planning. The course includes reviewing the design and implementation of marketing plans for the integration of product, pricing, promotion, distribution, sales, sponsorship, and advertising of sport goods and services.

Jan 2018 - May 2018

This course provides students with an understanding of the intricacy and complexity involved in sport program event and facility management. Sport facility management includes a variety of activities such as planning and designing a sports facility, staff management, facility marketing, developing revenue streams, and facility scheduling and operating. Sport program event management consists of identifying goals of the event and coordinating people in the organizations involved to achieve those…
This course provides students with an understanding of the intricacy and complexity involved in sport program event and facility management. Sport facility management includes a variety of activities such as planning and designing a sports facility, staff management, facility marketing, developing revenue streams, and facility scheduling and operating. Sport program event management consists of identifying goals of the event and coordinating people in the organizations involved to achieve those goals with the resources available.

Jan 2018 - May 2018

This course will explore how race and culture has impacted American sport and race relations in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. It encourages the discussion of current sports-related issues and controversies as well as helps students develop critical thinking skills. This course will explore how race has impacted American sport and race relations in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

Jan 2017 - May 2018

This course teaches students about the impact of social media's role in marketing efforts of sports brands globally that is undeniable and constantly evolving in today’s digital age. Additionally, this course teaches students how to use social media strategically to create value for a sports brand (e.g. NIKE, Adidas). An emphasis is placed on strategic collaboration, tactical execution, and measurement of social media efforts.
Students will learn by doing assignments focusing on social…
This course teaches students about the impact of social media's role in marketing efforts of sports brands globally that is undeniable and constantly evolving in today’s digital age. Additionally, this course teaches students how to use social media strategically to create value for a sports brand (e.g. NIKE, Adidas). An emphasis is placed on strategic collaboration, tactical execution, and measurement of social media efforts.
Students will learn by doing assignments focusing on social media post writing and publishing, management and measurement tools, a social media audit, an editorial calendar, a social media strategy and plan, crisis management, and personal branding. The course will cover blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, Snapchat, LinkedIn, and an array of niche social media platforms. We will discuss the importance of influencers and brand advocates, the benefits of listening and aligning objectives with goals. Lastly, This class is an introduction to social media and is meant for individuals that have little to no knowledge about social media.

Aug 2017 - Dec 2017

This course is designed to explore the different types of communication in sport programs and how they are organized and administered at the school, community and professional levels. It will also explore the communication process in management of intramural, recreation, sport and health club programs. The course focuses on the skills, techniques, practices and issues related to the field of public relations, as well as the methods of critical analysis regarding public relations campaigns and…
This course is designed to explore the different types of communication in sport programs and how they are organized and administered at the school, community and professional levels. It will also explore the communication process in management of intramural, recreation, sport and health club programs. The course focuses on the skills, techniques, practices and issues related to the field of public relations, as well as the methods of critical analysis regarding public relations campaigns and the media production of an event (conference, game or tournament).

Aug 2017 - Dec 2017

This course is an analysis of effective management strategies and the body of knowledge associated with pursuing a career in sport management. The course will introduce students to the American and World sport and entertainment enterprise; background, influences and trends; intercollegiate, collegiate and professional sport organizations; ownership and unionization; media portrayals. Emphasis will be placed on an introduction to the sport and entertainment management industry career fields.

Aug 2014 - May 2016

We created the TCUFTW campaign to show recruits TCU was the best choice (“for the win”).
• #1 highest-ranked recruiting class in TCU football history (National Signing Day 2016)
• 10 four-star signees in 2016 (which set a school record for the program)
• 16,000+ Instagram followers
Gary Patterson, Head Coach: “FusionSports has been a tremendous asset to us [for] recruiting and those guys have always been there whenever we needed […] them for their…
We created the TCUFTW campaign to show recruits TCU was the best choice (“for the win”).
• #1 highest-ranked recruiting class in TCU football history (National Signing Day 2016)
• 10 four-star signees in 2016 (which set a school record for the program)
• 16,000+ Instagram followers
Gary Patterson, Head Coach: “FusionSports has been a tremendous asset to us [for] recruiting and those guys have always been there whenever we needed […] them for their expertise.”
Services performed for this engagement: Ideation, brand identity design, consulting, strategy, social listening, influencer research, analytics, content creation, video production, photography, training and support, responsive web design and development, mobile app design and development.

Aug 2013 - May 2015

We launched the #MarylandPride campaign to encourage local pride in athletes looking outside of the DMV area for schools and show the public that the university offered more than just basketball.
• Top 50 class in 2016 nationally across 24/7, Rivals, Scout, and ESPN
• 100% of recruiting targets from both classes following on Instagram and Twitter
• 3,000+ downloads of Maryland Pride mobile app (iOS/Android)
Mike Locksley, Interim Head Coach: “Communicating and working…
We launched the #MarylandPride campaign to encourage local pride in athletes looking outside of the DMV area for schools and show the public that the university offered more than just basketball.
• Top 50 class in 2016 nationally across 24/7, Rivals, Scout, and ESPN
• 100% of recruiting targets from both classes following on Instagram and Twitter
• 3,000+ downloads of Maryland Pride mobile app (iOS/Android)
Mike Locksley, Interim Head Coach: “Communicating and working with [FusionSports] feels like they’re an extension of our recruiting department.”
Services performed for this engagement: Ideation, brand identity design, environmental graphic design, consulting, strategy, social listening, influencer research, analytics, content creation, video production, photography, training and support, responsive web design and development, mobile app design and development.

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As a successful entrepreneur and industry expert, I've been requested by professors at leading educational institutions to speak to their classes on multiple topics:
• Digital media & analytics
• Social media marketing & channel selection
• Marketing campaign & sponsor activation
• Fan engagement & monetization
• Emerging technologies (including virtual & augmented reality)
• Branding
• Entrepreneurship
Some of the schools I've had the pleasure of…
As a successful entrepreneur and industry expert, I've been requested by professors at leading educational institutions to speak to their classes on multiple topics:
• Digital media & analytics
• Social media marketing & channel selection
• Marketing campaign & sponsor activation
• Fan engagement & monetization
• Emerging technologies (including virtual & augmented reality)
• Branding
• Entrepreneurship
Some of the schools I've had the pleasure of speaking at include well-known universities:
• Texas A&M University
• Texas Southern University
• University of Houston
• Sam Houston State University
• Louisiana State University
• Indiana University
• University of South Carolina

-

As an industry veteran and successful agency owner, I've been requested by events to speak to attendees on multiple topics:
• Social media best practices
• Emerging media in sport marketing
• Creativity and innovation
• Personal branding
• Career prospects in sports
• Entrepreneurship
Some of the events I've had the pleasure of speaking at include well-known conferences and venues:
• Sport Entertainment & Venues Tomorrow conference
• Sport…
As an industry veteran and successful agency owner, I've been requested by events to speak to attendees on multiple topics:
• Social media best practices
• Emerging media in sport marketing
• Creativity and innovation
• Personal branding
• Career prospects in sports
• Entrepreneurship
Some of the events I've had the pleasure of speaking at include well-known conferences and venues:
• Sport Entertainment & Venues Tomorrow conference
• Sport Marketing Association conference
• U.S. Army All-American Game

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