Marketing March Madness: # 1 Reese's vs. #68 Buick

I went to the March Madness 2013 College All-Star game in Atlanta and thought that it was the coolest thing! I want to go into sports marketing after I graduate so I had fun, but noticed a lot of things that my friends did not at the game. I mainly paid attention to the sponsors and how companies were incorporating March Madness into there products or services. I remember two brands for 2 different reasons. Buick and Reese's. I remember seeing a brand new Buick vehicle on the concourse and signing up to receive promotional emails from them in the future. That's it. Reese's, on the other hand, was everywhere. I recall a sweepstakes, receiving a t shirt, giveaways, commercials, and even promotional signs in the grocery store.

Reese's is an official sponsor and Buick is a presenting sponsor. I know that there is a major difference for the companies, but as a consumer I couldn't tell the difference at the time. They were both competing to get my attention and they both go it, but I recalled more from Reese's based on my experience. That's all to say that things have changed over the past few years for marketing these events. Companies have stepped up their game when it comes to advertising for March Madness. It is important to use social media as the main campaign or to tie it it to other television or print ads. I decided to see how both brands are doing three years later...

Buick posted to Twitter a couple of times over the past week, but they barely received a response from their followers. I don't think Buick or car companies should try to force their way into this type of event because the audience is different. They should stick to the professional sports like Kia with the NBA, where they can actually make a campaign out of it. Taking a car and slapping #MarchMadness on a post does not put you in the conversation. 

Buick could take a few notes from Acura for taking a shot at March Madness this year. They have an #AcuraTourney where eight videos of online basketball performers and influencers are in competition with each other to win it all as voted by fans. It is a take on the March Madness bracket and they received better responses than Buick for a car company. Overall I love the idea, but it seems like they just stuck the new vehicle at the bottom of the screen so I still don't think it completely relates.

Reese's after three years is still "owning it!" When you're an official sponsor there is obvious reason and pressure for you to have to have a major presence, but Reese's does this year round with every major holiday and event. They have quite a few fun and creative posts on Twitter that are relevant to whats going on with the tournament from recipes to up to date reaction of the #BracketBusted upsets. Their posts are more interactive for fans and Reese's interacts back with them. It doesn't take much for them to get attention and to draw people in. Most people know the brand and love their product. It's less about buy more Reese's and more about having fun with this event. 

So it looks like in my matchup between the underdog, Buick, and the #1 seed, Reese's, ended in their delicious favor. If only I hadn't developed a peanut allergy!

March Madness Bracket Tips

March Madness is one of the best (or worst) times of the year for sport fans. If you decide to make a bracket and play against your friends, family, or coworkers it could be fun or disappointing.

In recent years, countless upsets have ruined the brackets for John, who kept up with every college basketball game since the pre-season and earned Susie, who only picked teams based on their uniform colors, a couple hundred dollars from the company pool. Social media platforms will be filled with status updates on brackets before the games and tears of joy or pain after the games. 

Before you start tweeting away your sorrows here are a few tips that might help you pick your bracket before Thursday:

1. Don't bet on it.

Upsets happen every single year. Don't bet your life savings or next paycheck. If you have to put something on the table offer to buy lunch for everyone and spend $5 at Little Caesars.

2. Don't do research.

Research shows if you do research to fill in your bracket it doesn't work.

3. Unorthodox is the new orthodox.

Picking by jersey colors, vacation destinations, coin flipping, asking your mom, and guessing which mascot would win in a mascot fight are all great ways of picking the winning teams for you bracket. It's so crazy it just might work.

4. Go round by round.

If you want to test the waters before making a complete bracket for the first time or because you have a history of unsuccessful picks, try picking the winners of each game. CBS Sports does Round By Round Brackets  I tried this last year and did pretty well. 

5. Have fun!

Unless you're competing against your classmates to get a 100 on your final exam don't sweat winning your bracket. It's all fun and games.

Whether you are John or Susie, good luck this year. I haven't watched a game all season, but just maybe that's the right and winning thing to do.