We are all gearing up for March Madness next week. CBS and Turner will bring everyone the thrills, the upsets, the expanded field hour after hour as legends are forged and heroes made. Nothing like it in American sport. With it will come all the activation, brand building and innovation from the broadcast partners and their sold out sponsor inventories, along with the hospitality and good will that goes along with such a mega event and the dollars spent with it. Just like the Super Bowl, media will rush to cover the business of the NCAA Tournament and the winners and losers both on and off the court.
However like the Super Bowl, the amount of dollars and the push for space can create a barrier to entry for many brands who do well in the male demo. The exclusivity of categories for NCAA and TV partners makes it very difficult to crash through, so opportunity goes by the board. Or does i.? What about Championship Wee.? Like the NFL Championship Game prior to the Super Bowl, the events of Championship Week provide a wide audience and capture much of the emotion that goes on during “March Madness.. In fact, brands looking for exposure in the football space have started to look to the run up to the Super Bowl as excessable real estate at less the price, with many of the same eyeballs. Can the same be said for conference tournament.
It is true that the audience will not be the total size, but conference tournaments, especially at Mid Major schools where there is a concentrated fever pitch and loots of emotion, can garner almost as much exposure and good will brand building as the NCAA's themselves. The real estate is available, many full tournaments are televised, there is the opportunity for onsite activation and most smaller conferences certainly need the dollars and the exposure. Is it for the Big East or the SE. No. Could one rally and pull off a cost efficient and effective partnership with the MAAC, the Big South, the Ivy (and its potential playoff), the Big West et. Could be. A few years ago in their effective rollout, Slingbox bought signage at every Mid-Major tournament, including the chair backs on team benches. The resul.? You could not watch a Mid-Major tournament that week without seeing Slingbox somewhere. They were not an NCAA partner, they didn’t grab the big dollars of the major events, but every night they popped up on Fox Sports, and ESPN and when a big shot or emotional moment took place for that one bid a conference got, they were there in the background. Subtle, smart and effective marketing to a core audience. Is it an opportunity for guerilla marketin. Yes. However for the right companies with the right activation plan, Championship Week and the Conference Tournaments remain a hidden jewel.
Let the fun begin.
