Pontiac will activate its sponsorship of the American Collegiate Intramural Sports’ (ACIS) basketball tournaments by giving away a host of cars during the season, which begins next month.
Keeping in line with its sports presence, Pontiac will also ramp up excitement among video gamers with an online basketball tourney tied to National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) March Madness.
“Pontiac has been a sponsor of the NCAA for a while and it’s a joy marketing with them. But the question has always been ‘how do you localize that alignment?'” said Mark-Hans Richer, director of marketing at Pontiac.
Richer said the ACIS gave Pontiac the ideal opportunity to activate marketing along a small promotional corridor of the NCAA.
In 50 of the 200 universities participating in ACIS tournaments, G6 and Torrent brands will be placed on campuses. Students can sign up for a shot contest with two selected to compete in the shootout competition during a live game. Depending on scores, one winner could drive away with the Pontiac prize.
The ACIS’s basketball season attracts 2.4 million students each year. This year, as in the past, Pontiac will also sponsor ACIS’s flag football tournaments held in the fall.
A division of GM, Pontiac’s relationship with basketball began with its sponsorship of the 2002 NCAA men’s Final Four tournament. This year, to activate its sponsorship, PS2 and Xbox gamers will participate in a Pontiac Virtual NCAA Final 4 competition.
The online game competition at Virtualfinal4.2ksports.com, mirrors the tournament match-ups with competitors dueling for the rights to win a trip to Indianapolis to compete in front of fans. In Indianapolis, the four top players will play games projected on large screens from Xbox 360 consoles. The winner receives a pair of tickets to the NCAA Championship and a Pontiac Virtual NCAA Final 4 trophy.
“We wanted to go beyond signs and T-shirts so we thought this would be an interesting cross promotional effort,” Richer said.
Print and TV spots promote Pontiac’s giveaways in the ACIS tournaments. Online gaming sites will promote the Virtual NCAA Final 4 competition. Pontiac handles the ACIS promotion internally and with Leo Burnett Detroit.
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