Rashida
If you haven’t caught on, it’s March!
Inspired by college basketball’s March Madness, we’ve been doing our own little version by posting a blog geared towards a different industry every day this month. It’s only right that we talked about the very event that started it all.
March Madness is an iconic time in sports, with millions of fans around the world tuning in to watch some of the top talents in men’s and women’s basketball compete for the national championship.
Undoubtedly, March Madness is a great sporting event, but it’s also a rather great marketing strategy. After a brief rundown of the 2021 March Madness event, we’ll dive into what makes this event one of the best college sports marketing strategies.
2021 Tournament Structure
2020 was the first year in a LONG time without March Madness. Players, coaches, and fans are thrilled to get back at it this year, even if it does look a bit different. For the women’s and men’s sides, the tournament will take place in a “bubble”, with all games at a neutral location. Teams will have to adhere to strict COVID-19 protocols (like 7 negative COVID-19 tests prior to arrival). For the women’s side, fans will be allowed up to 17% capacity for the Sweet Sixteen through the Championship. The men’s tournament will allow up to 25% capacity for the games.
Favorites
Interestingly enough, the #1 seed rarely makes it to the Final Four. Kentucky was the last #1 seed to make it past the Elite Eight, and that was in 2015. Here are some predictions for favorites on the men’s and women’s side of the 2021 March Madness.
Men’s
Here are the top 10 favorites according to PointsBet:
- Gonzaga (+210)
- Baylor (+575)
- Illinois (+625)
- Michigan (+925)
- Iowa (+1900)
- Houston (+2200)
- Alabama (+2200)
- Oklahoma State (+3000)
- Texas (+3800)
- Florida State (+4000)
With a 26-0 record, Gonzago is this year’s favorite. They have three players on the 2021 Wooden Award National Ballot, and those three combine for a very threatening attacking force. With four All-American players and a strikingly high field goal percentage (55.1%), the Bulldogs will be a force to be reckoned with.
Women’s
So far this season, four different teams have clinched the #1 ranking in the AP poll. There is a ton of talent and stiff competition in this year’s March Madness. CBS Sports predicts these teams as the top 3 favorites on the women’s side:
- UConn
- Stanford
- Baylor
This year, Stanford is a No.1 seed. They faced only 2 losses during the season and clinched the Pac-12 tournament championship earlier this month. UConn, South Carolina, and N.C. State are also No.1 seeds. Baylor is the defending champion and a favorite for many.
Sleeper Teams
One of the most exciting parts of March Madness is the potential for an underdog run. Here are some of the teams on each side that may give higher-ranked teams a run for their money.
Men’s
- UConn
- Georgetown. They made a run to win the Big East championship. Now that they’re playing well, who knows what can happen!
- Liberty. Liberty will put up a fight against favorites Oklahoma State.
- Colgate. Can this offensive team pull off an upset vs Arkansas?
Women’s
- Maryland. As a No.2 seed, Maryland isn’t an underdog but they are a team many are sleeping on. Maryland secured the Big Ten regular-season title and tournament title. They lead the nation in offensive rating.
- Arizona. The No.3 seed is lead by senior guard Aari McDonald, and she is quite the force to be reckoned with. But she’s supported by great talent all around her, giving her team a huge shot to find their way to the Final Four.
- Louisville. The No.2 seed should not be overlooked. After facing a tough loss in the ACC Championship, they will be out for vengeance.
The Marketing Behind March Madness
Most NCAA sports have a tournament similar to March Madness, but very few get the same attention as this one. March Madness is now its own brand within NCAA sports, and it’s got people who don’t regularly follow basketball drawing up brackets, placing bets, and tuning in. The tournament draws in millions, for example, the men’s game of Virginia against Texas Tech had 19.6 million viewers, while around 3.6 million people tuned into the women’s battle between Baylor and Notre Dame.
So how do they do it?
The History of March Madness
The first-ever NCAA D1 men’s basketball tournament was in 1939 and it featured just eight teams! The champion that year was Oregon. The first women’s NCAA tournament did not happen until 1982 after the NCAA obtained the sole governance of women’s collegiate sports from the AIWA.
The term was first used by Illinois high school official Henry V. Porter when he referred to the tournament. 1982 was also the year that the term “March Madness” would first be associated with the NCAA basketball tournament. Brent Musberger used it while covering that year’s tournament. Musberger states that he heard the term from car dealership commercials in Illinois.
Key Marketing Strategies of March Madness
March Madness is a whole event. It’s grown to be much more than basketball. While it does rake in millions of views and bring great exposure to the sport, it’s also expanded to gain the attention and engagement of businesses and non-basketball fans. Here’s how:
- Gamification. Filling out brackets and making bets is a HUGE part of the tournament. An estimated 60 million Americans fill a bracket out each year. People then tune in to watch how their picks are performing and trash talk. Gamifying the event engages millions of fans and businesses as well.
- Social media. The NCAA/March Madness social media accounts are anything but quiet. They use the opportunity to engage on social media with highlights, gameday photos, game reminders, interviews, and more.
- Omnipresent. Whether or not you care about basketball or sports, you’ll know when it’s March Madness. This is because everyone is talking about it, including different brands. Since 2005, the tournament has generated nearly $7.5 billion in TV advertising. For example, Wendy’s has an interactive social media bracket and offers exclusives throughout the month.
March Madness is a powerful sports marketing strategy that earns huge numbers of viewers and engagements for college sports. But, it also provides an opportunity for brands to join in and bolster their own marketing strategies for the month.
