March Madness Matters: A PR Perspective
March is here! Which means March madness, and that spring is around the corner. During the month of March, college basketball fans prepare their brackets, get together with friends to watch their favorite teams, and try to win some money. For advertising and public relations, March Madness means a time to create business entertainment.
March Madness breaks records with the number of people watching just the final four. Last year, the 2014 NCAA Division 1 Men’s Final Four set a record of 158,682 fans and 16.3 million views on the broadcast. When it comes to the number of views, March Madness comes second to only the Super Bowl.
In the fields of PR and advertising, this means a great deal of brand awareness and building about the campaign. March Madness campaigns are different in comparison to the super bowl. Companies try to be engaging, and reach the audience through different tactics. This year, companies are engaging the audience through digital and taking on live action through the players.
Quicken Loans does giveaways to the fans that fill out a bracket. Even though the odds of winning perfect brackets aren't very high, there are still winners with the prizes ranging from $1,000 in gift cards to a prize of $1 billion. This year Bud light is engaging with the fans by having concerts, viewing parties, and also having merchandise with the Bud light logo. Through the live action of the players, Nike will be sponsoring most of the teams through uniforms and other merchandise.
With all the live action and excitement to win some big prizes, there are many ways you can join in on the fun. To follow and keep up with the latest act, trends, and what campaigns companies are doing during March Madness, here are a few tips and websites to keep a look out for.
1. Be prepared - the game is live! Remember when the lights went out during the super bowl and Oreo was the first to step up and react to the crisis? Well with sports anything can happen and it’s up to you to come up with a fast and creative reaction to the live performances. Think of something that is creative and will keep people talking for weeks. Social media offers great ways to can awareness and attention in a short amount of time, and it's perfect for during a big game as many people will be watching, then engaging on social media.
2. Tweet, Tweet, Tweet - pull your audience in. Many companies will be updating their social media accounts often in an attempt to engage with those following along. For everyone watching, tweet and retweet. Use hashtags and vocabulary that will stick, like trending words. You can also follow the hashtags and see what other people are talking about, then challenge your audience by starting a conversation. A great way to do that is asking questions and giving your views to see what other people think.
You can follow along with the action on Twitter using @marchmadess or on their website.
Public relations, advertising and March Madness go together so well! In live action, anything can happen. The companies taking the action to sponsor or engaging with their fans at home - join in on the action, fun and excitement that is March Madness.
Sophie Klimkiewicz is a junior with Ad/PR major with an emphasis on Advertising. This is her first semester on GrandPR as an Account Associate. She is currently working at the Career Center on the downtown campus. Sophie came to Grand Valley to be in the city of opportunities and conquer the challenges that life throws at her. One of her favorite quotes is by Vince Lombardi, “the only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.”