Celebrate College Colors Day 2011

Celebrate College Colors Day 2011


The Collegiate Licensing Company press release

ATLANTA, Ga. (August 29, 2011) - As America goes back to school - and kicks off the college football season - College Colors Day on Friday, Sept. 2 is a special time for the nation’s 172 million college sports fans to wear their school’s colors and show solidarity for their team.

College Colors Day, in partnership with NCAA football, is an annual celebration dedicated to advocating higher education and promoting the traditions and spirit that embody the college experience by encouraging fans across America to wear their favorite college or university apparel throughout the day on Friday, September 2.

“There’s no better feeling than the anticipation of the start of a new football season or a new school year and all the excitement that comes with that,” said Cory Moss, Senior Vice President and Managing Director for The Collegiate Licensing Company. “College fans across the country are encouraged to wear their college gear to work, school, or play to show support for their favorite university and celebrate the start of the 2011 college football season.”

This year, College Colors Day is bigger than ever with 200 universities, the NCAA, and more than 11,000 stores representing the nation’s top retailers participating in events and promotions. The collegiate fan base is the largest, most affluent, and the most well-educated in all of sports. Collegiate licensed merchandise generated nearly $4.3 billion in retail sales in 2010, with royalties from the merchandise going back to colleges to support scholarships and campus development programs.

“jcpenney is a leading destination for college and fan apparel – offering a wide range of merchandise including jerseys, shirts, hats and more for men and women as well as items for kids and babies,” said Steve Lawrence, EVP, Senior General Merchandise Manager of participating retailer jcpenney. “In addition to being able to find team apparel for College Colors Day in local jcpenney stores, fans can go to the online Sports Fan Shop at jcp.com to find licensed merchandise from the college teams they love – no matter where they live.”

There are several marketing efforts planned to help grow College Colors Day as a national holiday, including:

• College Colors Day Kickoff football game -  Kentucky vs. Western Kentucky on Sept. 1 at LP Field in Nashville at 9:15 p.m. EST. The game will be televised on ESPN-U and is presented by the Nashville Sports Council.

• Tailgate Sweepstakes– companies that register online at collegecolorsday.com to participate will be automatically registered for a chance to win a $500 gift card towards an office tailgate party.

• A marketing partnership with ESPN’s Erin Andrews and Grammy Award-winning artist, Lady Antebellum.

• Outreach to more than 500,000 K-12 educators and more than 300,000 Human Resource Directors encouraging participation in the school and workplace respectively.

• Governors from several states across the country have declared Friday, September 2 as College Colors Day in their respective states including, Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Missouri, and Oklahoma, among others.

• Social media campaigns on Facebook, Twitter, and Foursqaure.

To get involved in College Colors Day, fans are encouraged to visit www.collegecolorsday.com, and the College Colors Day Facebook page.

The annual College Colors Day celebration is organized by The Collegiate Licensing Company (CLC), a division of IMG Worldwide.