Rice University
100%
90%+
700+
Talent sourcing and chef collaboration strategy
Menu development and consulting
Experiential hospitality programming
Venue coordination
Event production and execution
Premium gifting and brand integration
Challenge
Rice University's Football program had chronically underperformed in single-game ticket sales, leaving significant revenue on the table each season. The athletic department lacked clarity on who their buyers actually were, how large the addressable market was, and how to reach high-intent fans efficiently through paid media.
Strategy
The athletic department partnered with Elevate to conduct a full audience and market analysis and build a data-driven paid media strategy from the ground up. Elevate assessed the total addressable market, modeled audience segments by purchase likelihood, and designed a targeted media plan built to drive single-game ticket sales efficiently.
Action
Elevate developed a fan map profiling the digital behaviors and attributes of high-propensity buyers, then activated a targeted paid media strategy against those audiences.
Result
The result: Rice's ROI on media spend increased 300% year-over-year. Because the strategy was built on real audience intelligence rather than trial and error, the program drove efficient ticket sales from day one, eliminating the typical ramp-up period and generating strong CPA performance from launch.
