As with any big live event these days, social media is playing a pivotal role. With many Americans riveted to their TV sets (or their computers at work), March Madness is no exception. Last year, Coke spent 2% of its NCAA tournament ad budget on social media. This year, it’s spending more than 20%.
Coke Zero has sponsored the “Social Arena” on NCAA.com, from top tweets to trending teams. Click the “bracket” link and you’ll see the standard NCAA bracket, but with Facebook “like” buttons for each team. “Click on a ‘like’ to support your team,” says the site, which of course, broadcasts your choice on your wall:
Which links the game preview page on NCAA.com.
ESPN.com is offering a similar experience but tied to Twitter. Called “Tournament of Tweets” and sponsored by Verizon, you can vote for a team by sending a tweet with the corresponding hashtag. By clicking teams, you can see the latest team tweets alongside the bracket.
Beyond Coke and Verizon, other big advertisers are also investing in social media around the tournament. Hershey’s, for example, is coaxing people to its Reese’s Facebook page for a chance to try to shoot a half-court basket for $1 million at next year’s March Madness.