By Steve Lapa
Lapcom Communications Corp
President
March is half over, and the Madness is just beginning.
Can you feel the social media buzz driven by countless fans from Florida and Iowa to California as they brag and bet on their favorite teams?
Advertising as well is turning to the tournament page and taking on the creative themes that talk to the millions of fans who will fill out their brackets in that new age science called “bracketology.” Is that basketball novice who wins the office money pool because the uniforms were just the right color still in the office? Or how about grandma beating a few experts because she really has been a fan for over 60 years. So much for the science behind “bracketology.”
Industry surveys project nearly $2.7 billion will be wagered during the madness as the dollars flow through legal venues. This year may be a little different as fans in Iowa play a unique role. More on that in a minute.
As a forever basketball fan and a fan of great marketing, March Madness is that rare intersection of high-level athletic performance and competitive marketing execution on full display in front of millions almost every day for nearly three weeks. The summer Olympics in Paris scheduled July 26-Aug 11, come close, but the Olympic games play to a multi-sport, truly global crowd. There is nothing else in sports and marketing that compares to the prolonged, daily intensity surrounding the “Big Dance,” and this year it is truly a dance.
Fans are in for a next-level experience as Iowa’s amazing Caitlin Clark puts Women’s March Madness on the sports map once and for all. This year the social media buzz will have the additional fandom buying every ticket in sight as Caitlin’s Iowa Hawkeyes sold out arenas around the country.
So, what does all this March Madness fandemonium have to do with what we do in sales and marketing? Let’s learn.
1. Watch for marketers who get the emotional connection with the core fans. This year’s messaging will broaden beyond what you might expect.
2. As demographics change, so will creative.
3. Although your marketing may be limited to your local market, watch for new categories that can open your thinking.
Nearly 133 years have passed since Dr. James Naismith grabbed a round ball and a basket. His goal was to invent a simple game to keep a group of young men active during those maddening winter months in Springfield, Massachusetts. If he could only have imagined what he started.
Steve Lapa is the president of Lapcom Communications Corp. based in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. Lapcom is a media sales, marketing, and development consultancy. Contact Steve Lapa via email at: Steve@Lapcomventures.com.