Visit Stillwater, OSU Athletics partner to bask Stillwater in an #OrangeGlow

Visit Stillwater, OSU Athletics partner to bask Stillwater in an #OrangeGlow

Thursday, August 22, 2024

Media Contact: Jordan Bishop | Editor, Department of Brand Management | 405-744-7193 | [email protected]

Stillwater is welcoming a new tradition with the arrival of the #OrangeGlow campaign.

Residents and businesses are invited to glow up their porches with orange lights for football season.

Keith Helt and Detrick Bombarger from Oklahoma State University's athletic department partnered with Cristy Morrison, president and CEO of Visit Stillwater, and Nicole Horn, vice president and director of sales, to kickstart the idea. It stemmed from the orange glow Boone Pickens Stadium has sported for several seasons, and Morrison said they want to extend it to the community and business district.

"The idea is to bring recognition to the game day spirit," Morrison said.

#OrangeGlow will create a new connection for the OSU fanbase, giving it the opportunity to be included in the university's tightknit community.

Morrison's team has created stickers and buttons to bring campaign awareness and has spread them around town. Helt said Visit Stillwater's enthusiasm is one of the reasons they partnered together for the launch.

"They are so plugged into the community," said Helt, assistant athletic director of marketing and fan engagement for football and Cowboy basketball. "Whether it's residents, businesses or visitors. We went to people that we knew have been around Stillwater for a long time and have true connections around the town."

Partnering with the community is one of the biggest pillars of the #OrangeGlow campaign. Morrison said this wouldn't be possible without the residents and businesses of Stillwater.

"We are definitely America's friendliest college town, and we have a great relationship throughout the community," Morrison said. "I think extending the orange glow throughout Stillwater says a lot about our community and the importance that the university has for all of us."

Morrison has spread the word about #OrangeGlow all over Stillwater through emails, TV and radio. She is even hoping to reach the Greek life community to spread the orange lights even further. Stillwater residents have already started sending in pictures of their bright orange homes.

Using the #OrangeGlow tag on social media can even win prizes. For the biggest and brightest glowing homes, Visit Stillwater and the OSU athletic department are planning on giving out prizes.

"Everybody has a little bit of that competitive edge in them," Helt said. "If you really go all out with this, you're going to get a shout-out, or we might bring some prize pack stuff as a thank you for helping us launch this. We couldn't do this without the businesses and those partnerships and connections."

If residents or businesses don't know where to get orange lights, the Visit Stillwater team has been giving some out. Using color-changing lights is also encouraged to help not only #OrangeGlow, but also any other initiatives around town, such as turning them blue for Nurses Week. If all else fails, using a string of white Christmas lights and extra orange Eskimo Joe's cups can help kick-start #OrangeGlow.

"It's the vision that this be the beginning of a longtime tradition," Morrison said. "Another OSU football tradition. If, for whatever reason, you're not able to do it this year, then you can make plans to do it next year. And if it were me, after Halloween this year, I'd be buying all the orange lights I could possibly find for football season."

Story By: Mak Vandruff | [email protected]

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