The commencement of March Madness has college basketball fans across the nation celebrating.
While selecting an ideal March Madness bracket is almost unachievable, millions of participants engage in the time-honored tradition each year, eagerly watching the live matches. The renowned NCAA tournament attracts both devoted fans and new supporters alike.
Moreover, what would March Madness be if brands didn’t join the excitement? In the previous year, nearly all advertising slots during the men’s and women’s tournaments were snapped up swiftly, with total advertisement expenditure for the men’s tournament alone surpassing $1 billion.
Such substantial investments indicate high stakes. So, which marketing tactics for March Madness are poised for success? We examined earlier tournaments to formulate our strategical predictions and consulted Sprout Social’s Influencer Marketing platform to identify prime partnership prospects.
Let’s explore the findings and some advice to keep your brand competitive.
The March Madness marketing chance
Last year, the men’s March Madness championship garnered an average of 14.7 million viewers. The women’s championship attracted an even greater audience, averaging 18.7 million viewers. With millions tuning in, it’s evident that March Madness represents a significant cultural moment.
This is not only true for ordinary fans or brands allied to sports and fitness. Amid the play-by-plays, trending insights, and student-athlete influencers on social media, March Madness exerts more influence on popular culture than ever before.
Broadening the perspective, social media has transformed numerous sporting events into lucrative marketing opportunities for brands ranging from food and beverages to apparel and insurance.
As more brands strive to optimize their March Madness potential, standout campaigns will emphasize partnerships with student-athlete influencers, incorporate relevant cultural elements, and cater to a growing female audience that has historically been less engaged.
4 March Madness marketing concepts (with campaign illustrations)
In a massive event like March Madness, it’s easy to get overshadowed. To create eye-catching campaigns, tapping into online culture is essential. This will empower you to team up with the right influencers, build brand collaborations that resonate with your audience, and discover methods to set trends rather than merely responding to them.
Here are some actionable ways to participate, along with examples from 2024 to inspire your approach.
Collaborate with unconventional brands
As various industries dive into March Madness marketing campaigns, numerous unforeseen partnerships have surfaced. Frequently, newcomers to the tournament (and sometimes the realm of sports marketing) will join forces with renowned athletic brands to enhance their relevance and credibility. These collaborations also aid sports and fitness brands in reaching fresh audiences.
Consider Home Depot’s corporate sponsorship of the NCAA. Although the home improvement chain boasts a long-standing relationship with college athletics, it isn’t the first brand that comes to mind when thinking of March Madness. To promote their sponsorship last year, they developed a content series titled “Tips from the Tool Shaq” featuring famed basketball player Shaquille O’Neal, merging basketball themes with DIY spring home projects—a perfect fit for social media niches.
Why it works: Even if your brand lacks an obvious tie to the tournament, collaborations and sponsorships can help position your brand within the conversation. Not every company has the resources for NCAA corporate sponsorships, but other sports brands can be considered for partnerships—from consumer packaged goods to apparel retailers and both college and professional teams. Ideal crossovers arise when you merge different facets of online culture.
Generate a tangible event
While social media fuels the March Madness buzz, experiencing the tournament in person remains the best way to engage. In-person brand activations stimulate a flow of user-generated content, enhancing brand awareness on social channels and prolonging the campaign’s lifespan. Even if you aren’t present at the tournament, you can still cultivate community spirit.
For example, Marriott Bonvoy, the NCAA’s official hotel partner, provided their loyalty program members with opportunities to win tickets to the Women’s Final Four. The grand prize included airfare, hotel stays, courtside seats, and a game day ritual session with former Texas A&M player and current Texas women’s basketball coach Sydney Carter. They also set up a section on their website where visitors could arrange their March Madness travel—from hotel bookings to ticket purchases.
Why it works: Enhancing fans’ March Madness experiences is crucial. Brands that successfully make the event more enjoyable and unforgettable will gain devoted fans of their own. Travel and hospitality brands can particularly shine during the tournament—just ensure to avoid trademark violations and ambush marketing in your messaging.
Reinvent a bracket challenge
Completing a bracket is a quintessential part of the March Madness experience. However, the official NCAA bracket isn’t the sole one that fans obsess over. Brands and social media users launch their own bracket face-offs, pitting romantic novels, sweet treats, and even memes for the top spot. These alternative brackets effectively engage those wishing to partake in March Madness’s cultural significance but lacking extensive basketball knowledge.
Conversely, some brands can cleverly integrate their identity into the official bracket. For instance, Buffalo Wild Wings’ Shorty Award-nominated initiative involved creating a game show called “Beat the Buffalo,” where fans squared off their brackets against Jack—a real buffalo.
As Buffalo Wild Wings noted, “We taught a real, magnificent buffalo to choose NCAA basketball winners, then dared fans to outpick him. Many succeeded, some didn’t, and everyone was astonished. It’s a unique take on the familiar March Madness bracket competition, where participants submit their selections against a rival to determine correctness, errors, and who’s a buffalo.”
Why it works: Buffalo Wild Wings rejuvenated a well-known March Madness tradition, presenting it in a fresh and brand-centric way. This remarkable campaign drew in hundreds of thousands of views and media coverage. When planning your tournament marketing, contemplate how to reinvent the conventional bracket concept.
Engage with a new influencer market
A landmark Supreme Court ruling in 2021 enabled collegiate athletes to monetize their name, image, and likeness for the first time. A multi-million dollar market has sprung up in the last few years. Student-athletes have forged partnerships with everyone from local eateries to major brands like Nike. Brands elevate these collaborations during March Madness.
Last year, during the tournament, Raising Cane’s revived their “Underdog Challenge” campaign. The chicken tender-focused restaurant teamed up with student-athletes from “underdog teams”—those expected to lose. Every time an underdog triumphed, Raising Cane’s awarded free combos. As NC State’s DJ Burns expressed, “When the odds are defied, the chicken fingers are devoured, baby!”
Why it works: Did we mention the free chicken? Alongside the delectable giveaway, the campaign taps into a beloved aspect of March Madness: rooting for the underdog. By collaborating with already-favored student-athletes, Raising Cane’s positions their brand favorably with the excitement that will ensue following an underdog victory—linking themselves to the team early on.
When scouting for your own collaborators, remember that they don’t have to come from the top-seeded team or be an MVP to make a significant impact. The next section outlines how to choose suitable student-athlete partners.
Top collegiate athlete influencers for March Madness marketing (and beyond)
Over 520,000 NCAA student-athletes exist. This unprecedented number highlights the peak influencer marketing potential for brands after the NIL ruling.
To streamline this extensive pool and discover the ideal partners for your brand, consider a solution like Influencer Marketing.
To illustrate its functionality, we generated a Signals Report within the platform to pinpoint top college athlete profiles based on earned media value (EMV) associated with NCAA and March Madness content since November 2024. Here’s what we discovered.
Jada Brown
Jada Brown plays basketball at Vanderbilt University. With over 3 million followers across various platforms, Brown has cultivated a substantial and dedicated following. Her engagement rate is 43%, and her growth is among the top 1% on both Instagram and TikTok.
Data from Influencer Marketing indicates that 80% of Brown’s audience consists of Gen Z and Millennials, with an even gender split. Previously, she has promoted brands like Coach, Bloom Nutrition, and Student Beans in her posts.
The EMV of Brown’s content is approximately $2.12 million.
Brandon Dwyer
Brandon Dwyer is a basketball player at Florida Gulf Coast University. The Eagles guard has over 4.4 million followers on social platforms and ranks in the top 50% of accounts growing on Instagram and YouTube, and the top 20% on TikTok.
In his posts, this athlete has mentioned brands such as Hoopers, Sunny D, and Philadelphia Cream Cheese, with a reported EMV of $167K. Approximately 80% of his audience consists of Gen Z or Millennials, with 62% being male.
Dominique Darius
Dominique Darius plays basketball at The University of Southern California, holding 178K followers across various networks. Darius ranks in the top 5% of creators on TikTok and among the top 1% on Snapchat. Her impressive engagement rate of 23% reflects her growing audience’s fondness.
Previously, Darius has featured brands such as La Victoria, GLD, and WSLAM in her posts. Her content carries an EMV of $79K, with her audience predominantly comprising Gen Z and Millennials, slightly leaning male.
Mary Lengemann
Mary Lengemann is a basketball player at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. The Eagles forward/guard boasts approximately 140K total followers and has an engagement rate of 15.4%.
In her posts, Lengemann has mentioned brands including Nike, Under Armour, and Girlfriend Collective, yielding an EMV of over $40K. Almost 80% of her followers are from Gen Z and Millennials, with a slight majority being female.
Jackson Young
Jackson Young is a basketball player at Southern Methodist University. The Mustang guard has around 348K followers across platforms, with an 80% female follower base (the widest gender gap on our list), primarily comprised of Gen Z and Millennials.
Young has previously collaborated with brands such as Raising Cane’s, Optimum Nutrition, and Burberry. Currently, his EMV stands at $23K.
How your brand can achieve a social media upset
March Madness transcends being merely a basketball tournament—it’s a cultural spectacle that offers tremendous opportunities for brands.
Through unexpected brand partnerships, engaging real-life experiences, creative bracket challenges, or collaborations with student-athlete influencers, the cornerstone of success lies in connecting with online culture and engaging audiences where they naturally engage.
As brands continue to elevate their efforts annually, those that embody authenticity and creativity will distinguish themselves. With effective strategies and alliances, your brand can transform March Madness into a standout marketing moment. Now is the perfect time to join the action.
Seeking additional guidance on identifying the finest student-athlete influencers? Consult our guide to finding the ideal influencers for your campaign.
The post March Madness marketing: How elite brands can score major points appeared first on Sprout Social.
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