Sheraton Strikes NCAA, CBS Sports Partnership

Sheraton Hotels hopes to parlay its three-year partnership with the National Collegiate Athletic Association and CBS Sports into a platform to build business among college sports fans traveling to away games.

Sheraton is the designated global hotel brand for 23 NCAA sports, but its marketing money will be spent around major sports. That starts with the upcoming NCAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments, and includes college football, college hockey’s “Frozen Four” tourney finals, and the College World Series.

Its initial play includes a sweepstakes for a trip for two to the Final Four. Anyone staying at a Sheraton location since early February is automatically entered. Most of Sheraton’s media spend will be on the basketball tournament, according to Brian Povinelli, Sheraton vice president of global marketing.

Sheraton values the deal for the activation it can produce at its respective properties and in field marketing, Povinelli said.

“We’re really truing to position Sheraton as the official hotel of the away game,” he said.

Sheraton will sponsor the NCAA March Madness on Demand online video player that will stream video of all 64 tourney games. The deal includes site media placements and integrated promotions with CBS Sports, and placements on CBSSports.com.

A 30-second Sheraton spot recently started airing during regular season NCAA basketball games on CBS.

Sheraton is launching a pre-tourney online fan “wave” starting on March 11 at www.Sheraton.com/NCAA, composed of video clips it’s been soliciting from fans performing their own version of the stadium ritual. The massive clip sequence will be searchable by school, so fellow alumni can find each other easily. Anyone uploading or viewing clips can also enter for a shot at the Final Four trip there too.

Local Sheratons will stage tournament-watching parties, according to Povinelli, and encourage employees to wear sweatshirts of their alma maters. By mid-year, Sheraton will make the appeal more tangible with a discount for travelers bound for NCAA events.

It’s part of a larger Sheraton brand positioning, bringing people together for “meaningful moments,” Povinelli said. “Nothing spoke better to that than what the NCAA represents.”