As the Temple University Owls prepared to face off against UCLA in the EagleBank Bowl on Dec. 29, the team made sure one voice was heard loud and clear before the big game: renowned comedian Bill Cosby.

Cosby, a former Temple running back, recorded an energetic call to 15,000 fans using permission-based Vontoo voice broadcasting. With his distinguished voice, Cosby passionately encouraged fans to attend what is the university’s first bowl game appearance in 30 years. True to his comedic ways, he even tooted a pretend horn at the end of the call and reminded the fans to don Owls’ colors cherry and white.

“Vontoo enabled us to reach our fans in such a powerful way,” said Scott Walcoff, assistant athletics director for marketing and promotions. “Getting a call from Bill Cosby has not only delighted fans, but it has generated a great deal of buzz leading up to the game.”

Not only did Vontoo allow Temple to communicate with local fans, they also were able to reach out to alumni that are located in other parts of the country. “We don’t have the budget to advertise on a national scale, so when our alumni move out of state it’s difficult to reach them,” said Walcoff. “But with Vontoo, we can cost-effectively reach our audience no matter where they live. That’s huge.”

In addition to the voice messaging capabilities that Vontoo provides, the company also offers a robust tracking system. For the first time, Temple couldsee how successful their marketing initiatives were. They couldsee what numbers of calls were answered live, what calls went to voicemail. and for how long listeners were engaged.

“This tool allows us to better understand our fans and see how different communications resonate with them,” said Walcoff. “It’s incredible how much stronger a call is than say a flat piece of direct mail. We won big when we selected Vontoo.”