Coming to college at exactly the RIGHT time.

At the time of my last post, I was sitting on pins and needles -- anxiously awaiting the outcome of a football game which had the potential to further brand our school as the shining star in a galaxy of collegiate sports . . .

I first arrived at the University of Florida in 2005, and since that time the Gator Nation has celebrated 4 National Championship titles.

Florida Gator Basketball:
April 3, 2006 - Defeated UCLA Bruins 73-57 in NCAA National Championship (Indianapolis, IN)
April 2, 2007 - Defeated Ohio State Buckeyes 84-75 in NCAA National Championship (Atlanta, GA)

Florida Gator Football:
January 8, 2007 - Defeated Ohio State Buckeyes 41-14 in BCS National Championship (Glendale, AZ)
January 8, 2009 - Defeated Oklahoma Sooners 24-14 in BCS National Championship (Miami, FL)

Obviously, we won the game.

Looking back at that moment, which I was fortunate enough to share with the thousands who packed the stadium in Miami two weeks ago (not to mention with the thousands more watching, both near and afar), I can honestly say that very few moments in my life will compare.

When people ask me why I came to the University of Florida -- especially coming from Georgia -- I joke that I was convinced by a premonition I had four years ago telling me we would win 4 national championships in my time here. (Did I mention I'm a psychic?) However, I am serious when I say that I could not be more proud to be a member of The Gator Nation. I mean, with bragging rights in one major sport or another every year since I've been in school -- not to mention Tim Tebow, "college football God", winning the Heisman last year -- my timing honestly could not get any better, could it? ;)

To all the Sooner fans out there -- I'll give it up that the Oklahoma game and the SEC Championship game against Alabama were definitely the most gripping games we played all season, and I'll have to admit there were moments when I ALMOST thought we might cut it too close. (I never imagine the Gators actually losing!) Of course, when my eyes weren't glued to the field, they were focused on the jumbo tron screen -- excited to see the new University of Florida TV spot. (Yes, I am that dork.) You will come to find that my life revolves around a select number of things -- Gator football and advertising being two of them. That being said, I had previewed the spot shown during the game at an Ad Society meeting in which we invited Joe Hice, Associate VP of Marketing & PR for the University of Florida, to speak about the Gator Nation campaign. Hice shared with us two new spots in the next chapter of the campaign, entitled "When Did You Become a Gator?" -- and immediately I fell in love.

The Gator Nation campaign was launched three years ago (again, timing!) with the help of creative agency Fletcher Martin in Atlanta, GA. Most followers are familiar with the initial "Go Gators" spot:



The thing that I love most about this commercial is it does not feature a single student pouring something into a lab beaker or reading a book while sitting on the university's lawn, conveniently in front of a historic campus landmark. In my opinion, these types of spots are just flat out unoriginal. Could you distinguish one bland university's commercial from the other? Probably not.

The University of Florida has succeeded in branding itself as more than just a school -- it is a point of connection for people all over the world. And isn't that what life is all about? Connections . . .

So back to that new spot I was talking about.

If you want to check it out, visit Fletcher Martin's Web site at www.fletchermartin.com. Both new spots featured on the site move people to remember the first time they became a member of the Gator Nation. The spots are emotionally striking -- I honestly cannot watch them without tearing up. And it is clear that the agency did their homework to appeal to all walks of Gators -- past, present and future. They've also incorporated user-generated content into the campaign, asking people to upload videos in response to the question "When Did You Become a Gator?" Innovative and insightful! Visit GoGatorNation.com to check it out.