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!