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GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 27, ISSUE 4 64 the students. It always has. It likely always will. "I have been coming to Purdue games all my life," said Michael Wood, a junior in the Krannert School who is a PR Exec- utive with the student group, The Paint Crew. "Especially in the last two years, I have seen a dramatic improvement in the entertainment value of game days from the Jumbotron, to the overall marketing and promotions. They make games feel like something you don't want to miss and the make The Paint Crew really feel like an important part of it from the idea development to what we see at games." Within the athletic department, there are several staffers inti- mately involved with the idea development and execution. The blame is shared if some- thing doesn't work and they rejoice together when it does. "I always try to tell everybody that it is everyone's job to market or promote. It is (the) marketing and promotions (department's) job to execute," asso- ciate athletics director for marketing and ticketing Chris Peludat said. "We are judged on how many fans are in the stands, but we also know there are more factors than ever that contribute to that." Peludat, who came to Purdue in 2011 after a similar role at Air Force, may lead the marketing team, but he relies heavily on creative services manager Paul Sadler, basketball's communications director Chris Forman and director of basketball operations Elliot Bloom, in addition to Patt. It is truly a team effort in getting ideas from concept to fruition. Peludat said this year's "Making Our Statement" theme and poster was in many ways three years in the making. Themes come from different places, different vantage points. A couple of years ago, the team mantra "Earn It" germinated from after a tough loss to Michigan the year before when the Boilermakers missed a couple of free throws that would have sealed the deal. The theme was built on the notion that every pos- session, every free throw, every rebound counts. Last year's "Remember the Name" theme evolved from the feeling the Boilermakers were a team that needed to be reck- oned with and that the program shouldn't be overlooked. This year's theme was much edgier. "We were a little worried the coaching staff wouldn't be on board with our jab at the other In- diana schools and with the unique poster sign that was cut in the state of Indiana," said Sadler, a lifelong Purdue fan who grew up in Lafayette. "We were unsure if they would want to poke the bear, but to our sur- prise, they really liked (the concept). We are trying to reignite that rivalry as much as we can because that what makes sports fun." The poster did get noticed. It's sharp photography, a hallmark of Purdue's static athletic images these days thanks to the work of part-time photographer Charles Jischke, whom Sadler calls "one of the best in America," but the die-cut shape of the state of Indiana also made it stand out. Some Indiana fans took exception to it on social media to Purdue's claim, adding to the impact. In marketing terms, two words describe it well: Mission accomplished. "As a basketball staff, we are glad to have an extremely talented group who get around the table and make these decisions and come up with the ideas," Bloom said. "At the end of the day, Coach (Matt) Painter has given it his OK and he did that with the poster. Coach is not a mi- cromanager, and I think that helps with the cultivation of creative ideas. Sports is about rivalries and connecting people and we get that." Bloom, a marketer at heart with experience at the Pur- due going back to his undergraduate days in the 1990s, This year's Purdue basketball poster caught the attention of Indiana and Pur- due fans alike and became a hot topic in social media.