Peace talks KSU marketing and promotions on Podcast

Kent State Associate Athletic Director of Marketing and Fan Engagement Scott Peace was recently a guest on the Sports Marketing Machine podcast.

Peace has been in his current role at Kent State since January of 2023.  A native of Louisville, Kentucky, Peace got his start in collegiate athletics at the University of Louisville in his undergrad days.  After stints at South Florida and Evansville, Peace found his way to Portage County.  

This past season, several programs saw significant attendance increases in Kent State athletics.  Wrestling saw a 155% increase in attendance, while men’s basketball saw a 39% increase, women’s soccer was up 34%, volleyball up 48%, field hockey was up 83% and gymnastics up 35% under Peace and his staff’s leadership.   

As the numbers show, Peace and his staff have done an excellent job of giving all sports the attention, planning and care that they deserve.

Among the many early highlights under Peace, is a complete rebranding of the Kent State student section.  “Flash’s Flock” was born in the last year with ‘Flock leaders’ serving as student ambassadors for the group.  Long gone is MACC Maniacs, which only brought attention to sports playing at the MAC Center.   

Peace, whose beard game is strong, looks like he could have been a fixture on Sean Lewis’ football staff.  During the podcast, Peace is quite candid as he discusses the hits and misses of certain promotional events and giveaways, most notably the recent men’s basketball season.

The giveaway game has been strong since Peace has taken over and he looks to take it up a notch in the future.  Having been around KSU athletics for a while, it’s been refreshing to see the lightning bolt of energy that Peace has given the marketing department.

If you are a Kent State fan like me who has spent a lot of hard earned money on KSU athletics over the years, the podcast could be a worthy listen to some die hard Blue and Gold fans.

As a self-described sport nerd in all aspects like me when it comes to all things athletics: coaching, media, marketing, etc., the conversation was a fun behind the scenes peek into a Division I marketing operation.    

Sports Marketing Machine Podcast Episode 64 – Scott Peace, Kent State Associate Athletic Director of Marketing and Fan Engagement.