{"70354":{"#nid":"70354","#data":{"type":"news","title":"New Program Empowers Yellow Jacket Fans on Quest for More Fan Gear","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFor Georgia Tech fans, finding licensed gear can sometimes be compared to digging for buried treasure. Occasionally they may find \u0027gold,\u0027 but more often than not, they encounter shelves brimming with items from professional and competitor teams with not a Georgia Tech item in sight.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EA new program initiated by Georgia Tech\u0027s Communications and Marketing Department is working to change that experience. \u0027I Want My GT\u0027 is a consumer activation program designed to empower fans to encourage retailers to carry more Georgia Tech merchandise.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ERetailers often say that they don\u0027t stock Georgia Tech merchandise because there is no demand. The new program outfits Yellow Jacket fans with \u0027I Want My GT\u0027 cards to put in the hands of retailers, encouraging them to sell Georgia Tech products. Specifically, the message on the card states, \u0022Dear Retailer, I\u0027m one of thousands of Yellow Jacket fans, and I want my GT! You can help us show our school pride by carrying Georgia Tech merchandise and we\u0027ll help you become an official Buzz Stop.\u0022  \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EA Web site, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.iwantmygt.com\u0022 title=\u0022www.iwantmygt.com\u0022\u003Ewww.iwantmygt.com\u003C\/a\u003E, will support the program listing official Buzz Stops and other information to support merchandisers and fans.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Georgia Tech not only has a smaller alumni base than other universities, we must also compete with shelf space from a host of other colleges as well as professional teams based in Atlanta,\u0022 says Aimee Anderson, manager of Tech\u0027s licensing program. \u0022Although we may be outnumbered, we want to make sure that our dedicated fans\u0027 voices are heard and that they have access to Yellow Jacket gear.\u0022\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0027I Want My GT\u0027 is a winning proposition for both the Institute and Georgia Tech students. Proceeds from licensing fees are designated for scholarship programs. The more licensed products that are sold, the more funds that can be provided to fund scholarships.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Having more Georgia Tech products in the marketplace helps showcase our brand,\u0022 says Katherine Bows, Georgia Tech\u0027s director of marketing communications.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ECurrently, Georgia Tech has more than 400 licensees with revenues from royalties totaling $787,754 in FY 2007-08. While some programs have seen a decline in licensing revenues, Georgia Tech continues to buck these trends with revenues increasing approximately 2.3 percent during the past year.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe program was officially launched during the Georgia Tech-Miami game, where each fan received an \u0027I Want My GT\u0027 card and promos of the program showcased throughout the game. For more information on the initiative, visit the \u0027I Want My GT\u0027 Web site.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"\u0027I Want My GT\u0027 Initiative Targets Retailer Participation"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"For Georgia Tech fans, finding licensed gear can sometimes be compared to digging for buried treasure.","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"\u0027I Want My GT\u0027 Program Encourages Retailers to Stock More Fan G"}],"uid":"27281","created_gmt":"2008-11-20 01:00:00","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:01:20","author":"Lisa Grovenstein","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2008-11-20T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2008-11-20T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"70355":{"id":"70355","type":"image","title":"media:image:2aa495ed-7dfa-44cf-bde0-654346f22986","body":null,"created":"1449177304","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:15:04","changed":"1475894618","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:43:38"}},"media_ids":["70355"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.iwantmygt.com\/","title":"I Want My GT"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"133","name":"Special Events and Guest Speakers"}],"keywords":[{"id":"1910","name":"fan gear"},{"id":"1911","name":"I Want My GT"},{"id":"1908","name":"Licensing"},{"id":"1909","name":"Yellow Jacket"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cstrong\u003ELisa Grovenstein\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECommunications \u0026amp; Marketing\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/contact\/index.html?id=lgrovenste3\u0022\u003EContact Lisa Grovenstein\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E404-894-8835\u003C\/strong\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["lisa.grovenstein@comm.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}