The Carleton Ravens’ recreation and athletics department announced their new manager of marketing and brand development, as Sheryl Hunt assumed her new position May 28.
Hunt spent the past 11 years as the director of ticket sales for the Ottawa 67’s. The owner of the club is Hunt’s older brother, Jeff.
Hunt will be in charge of the Ravens’ brand as well as marketing the various athletic programs. She will also be in charge of ticket sales, fundraising, and community and student engagement.
“Capitalizing on the digital assets that may be at the disposal of the department, whether that be the website or e-mail and leveraging that to the fullest extent,” Hunt said regarding her immediate plans with the new position.
Hunt said the success of the Ravens’ men’s basketball team will be at the forefront of her marketing, but the return of the football program and the growing success of the hockey clubs will be important as well.
“Like any marketing campaign, you want to leverage your key franchise and that right now, obviously, would be the basketball franchise,” Hunt said.
She said she wants to increase student engagement by establishing a student interest group to discover the reasons why students partake in the Ravens’ games and programs.
Hunt said her experience with the 67’s will be helpful in tackling her new position, as the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) team developed a strong community involvement program with her.
“I certainly feel as though those experiences are going to benefit Carleton greatly,” she said.
Carleton’s director of recreation and athletics, Jennifer Brenning, said Hunt’s experience with the 67’s was a factor in hiring her for the position.
“She is a dynamic, creative and energetic person,” Brenning said. “She has a good background with the 67’s and a good understanding of sport marketing.”
Brenning said she was specifically impressed with the way the 67’s were able to succeed in engaging the community while having to compete with an NHL team for fan support, and she said she hopes to see Carleton’s programs similarly built in the community.
