NCAA Partners Ready to Roll, But Face Foul Plays

Brandweek,  March 6, 2000  by Terry Lefton

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National Collegiate Athletic Association sponsors are gearing up for March Madness, looking to leverage college sports' crown jewel with more than 75 promotions nationwide. But an incalculable number of marketers are using the tourney without paying rights fees.

Witness Nike's topical "Bracketville" campaign, or at the other end of the creative spectrum, E*Trades less-than-inspired Market Madness promo, where stocks compete in a bracket "pool." General Mills, Playboy.com and Samuel Adams beer are also staging college hoops promos, but without NCAA sanction.

Since it lasts longer, is more geographically dispersed and attracts both casual fans, alums and staff at colleges and universities, the NCAA hoops fest is the most-assaulted big sports event.

"More brands are attaching themselves to it every year, because there is nothing like the Final Four as far as affinity across a wide demographic," said T.J. Nelligan, former sales exec at NCAA sponsorship agency Host Communications, who now runs his own sports marketing firm in Little Falls, N.J. "The assaults will always be there, but what we've also seen lately is much more interest in buying rights at the conference and team level."

Among official players, second-year sponsor Nabisco will roll a special edition "Munch Madness" cookie embossed with basketballs and orange icing. An online Oreo Dunk 'N Slam sweeps offers Rawlings/NCAA basketballs.

Telecom sponsor GTE, in the throes of a name change after merging with Bell Atlantic, has bowed out of its seat cushion promo at the men's Final Four. Sears will distribute 22,000 cushions at the women's finals in Philadelphia.

GM'S Oldsmobile is aboard for a March Madness Car Craze promo with CBS/Sportsline.com that gives away six cars backed by TV, online, radio and print. A secondary element offers a $50 gift certificate from MVP.com as a test drive inducement.

Pepsi is running a UTC promo, "Got name" (Brandweek, Nov. 1, 1999) in which bottle caps with the winning NCAA school can be redeemed for wearable caps; other prizes include SI subscriptions and Foot Locker discounts.

Gillette stages its annual live $2 million shot promo between the semifinal games on CBS April 1 with Rick Barry as emcee. Continental and American Express team for an online promo for tix purchased with Amex dangling 4,000 bonus miles and a sweeps for tickets, hotel and transportation in host city Indianapolis. Pennzoil, Marriott, Planters and Hershey offer sweeps whose respective top prizes are trips to this year's tourney the 2001 men's Final Four fest in Minneapolis and NCAA tickets for life.

On the local-marketing front, Ocean Spray is staging tie-ins with Indy-area grocery chains and Web site Total Sports has its own bracket play.

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