The excitement of the Super Bowl has passed, and now it is time for basketball to step up to the plate (or, technically, to the basket). March Madness begins on March 17, and it is definitely deserving of its name.
March Madness is the Division I men’s single-elimination basketball tournament. It consists of 68 teams and a total of 67 games over 19 days. This mass sports event leads up to the Final Four National Championship, which will take place in Minneapolis this year.
Similar to the Super Bowl, advertisers have the opportunity to promote their products and services to a mass audience focused on a single event. According to Kantar Media, the 2017 college basketball tournament raked in $1.285 billion in ad revenue, trailing only behind the NFL playoff games (including the Super Bowl).
The United States is prideful about college sports, so it is no wonder why companies would use this event to their advertising advantage. Aside from televised commercials, some advertisers offer bracket contests and giveaways on social media to attract new customers.
According to Chron.com, advertisers during March Madness also:
- Focus on local teams
- Create promotional items & events
- Target sports fans where they watch the games
- Be careful of trademarked terms
Millions of people across the country are tuning in to watch the basketball madness. Thus, advertisers can promote their businesses across several media platforms before, during and after the tournament. This March, be on the lookout for the different ways advertisers promote themselves during the games.
