The frenzy around March Madness is really about packaging. My “proof?” Easy. Ask people if they know the significance of Texas Western in NCAA history, most won’t know (unless they’ve seen the movie “Glory Road.”) Ask which college team has won 10 straight national championships, most won’t know. Ask when the field expanded to 65 teams, most won’t know. (Heck, I don’t even know.)
Now ask each of those same people about March Madness or if they know what a tournament bracket is, and the answer will almost assuredly be yes. There’s even a decent chance they’ve filled out a bracket of their own!
March Madness is all about placing a very good product (college basketball) in an extremely favorable light. Everything from naming the tournament to promoting it; from engaging the broader audience through “bracketology” to branding it as the greatest value for the sports entertainment dollar has played a prominent role in making the NCAA Basketball Tournament a mainstay of the American landscape during the spring of each year. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that it’s the sure sign that spring has sprung.
Good luck with your brackets and enjoy the spring!
About Dave Neuger
The Marketing of Madness
By Dave Neuger / March 10, 2010
The frenzy around March Madness is really about packaging. My “proof?” Easy. Ask people if they know the significance of Texas Western in NCAA history, most won’t know (unless they’ve seen the movie “Glory Road.”) Ask which college team has won 10 straight national championships, most won’t know. Ask when the field expanded to 65 teams, most won’t know. (Heck, I don’t even know.)
Now ask each of those same people about March Madness or if they know what a tournament bracket is, and the answer will almost assuredly be yes. There’s even a decent chance they’ve filled out a bracket of their own!
March Madness is all about placing a very good product (college basketball) in an extremely favorable light. Everything from naming the tournament to promoting it; from engaging the broader audience through “bracketology” to branding it as the greatest value for the sports entertainment dollar has played a prominent role in making the NCAA Basketball Tournament a mainstay of the American landscape during the spring of each year. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that it’s the sure sign that spring has sprung.
Good luck with your brackets and enjoy the spring!