The Office of Trademark and Licensing Services has found a new way for Buckeye fans around Columbus to start their weekends off a little earlier.

A new marketing campaign provides a twist on the casual Friday theme, common in many workplace environments. “Scarlet and Gray Fridays” boast “game day passion, Friday fashion.”

“The idea behind it is to create the same excitement we have on game days, on Fridays. A kind of pep rally for the work place. It came out of our office, but different groups do things for game day Fridays. Nobody had taken it to a community wide activity,” said Rick Van Brimmer, director of OSU trademark and licensing services.

The primary focus of the campaign targets businesses, rather than the university community.

“We have much more to do in the outside community than in our own,” Van Brimmer said.

The “Scarlet and Gray Fridays” theme hopes to reach every place of employment, from executive offices to mailrooms.

With the launch of the website, www.scarletandgrayfridays.com a month ago, more people are learning of the campaign.

An incentive of the promotion is a coupon, downloaded from the website, to receive 15 percent off any single regularly priced officially licensed product at local campus retail and bookstores.

“The whole idea is something some people were doing for years,” said Kelly Dawes, manager of College Traditions.

Dawes has seen a growing number of patrons coming in to make purchases using the coupon over the past few weeks.

“Many in the community are still being acclimated with the program, and as ads increase people are catching on,” Dawes said.

The “Scarlet and Gray Fridays” campaign is joining another area promotion. Media partners, WBNS-10 TV, The Columbus Dispatch and 1460 The Fan, “were in the process of talking to Chrysler Jeep about promoting the upcoming football season,” said Butch Moore, of Dispatch sports marketing.

Chrysler Jeep will award one Buckeye fan their choice of a Chrysler PT Cruiser or Jeep Wrangler.

“Wear Scarlet and gray and drive away” is a way of gaining exposure to various places throughout the city for both promotions,” Moore said. “We saw this as a great way to blend the two together.”

The scarlet and gray vehicles have been displayed at different locations around Columbus on Saturdays.

“The campaign has been marketed throughout the city at places like Donatos, The Buckeye Hall of Fame Cafe and Polaris so far,” Moore said. “In the upcoming weeks they will be featured at College Traditions and Long’s College Bookstore.”

The winner will be announced on Sunday, Nov. 24 during WBNS-10TV’s Wall to Wall Sports.

“‘Scarlet and Gray Fridays’ is a way people can start getting ready for the game a day early,” Van Brimmer said, “And a way to make the whole community scarlet and gray.”