Editor’s Note: The NCAA Women’s Basketball National Championship game between UConn and South Carolina drew a crowd of nearly 20,000 people and 8.5 million viewers—the third most-watched women’s Division I title game on ESPN platforms. Leading up to the game, tens of thousands of fans showed up in downtown Tampa for the week’s Final Four celebrations and events. Here’s how brands appealed to the wide array of attendees and stood out amid the hoops, according to coverage in Chief Marketer Network publication Event Marketer. Below is an excerpt of the piece; go here to read the full article.
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Sunday’s NCAA Women’s Basketball National Championship game between UConn and South Carolina drew a sellout crowd of 19,777 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL, and 8.5 million viewers, making it the third most-watched women’s Division I title game on ESPN platforms. In the days leading up to UConn’s 12th national championship win, tens of thousands of fans showed out in downtown Tampa for the week’s Final Four celebrations and events, with many setting record attendance numbers and reaching maximum capacity.
So, how did brands appeal to the wide spectrum of attendees and stand out among a sea of basketball courts and hoops games? We break down six experiential tactics we spotted around town that successfully pulled fans in.
Bucket Hats FTW
Everywhere we looked, bucket hats were the accessory of choice, specifically branded ones. Capital One, GEICO and The Home Depot were among the booths that gave away bucket hats as prizes for taking part in their basketball-themed games, and they became a kind of badge of honor that identified wearers as high points scorers. It was easy to pick out where the hats came from, thanks to their iconic colors (orange for The Home Depot) and designs (an allover print of the GEICO Gecko holding a basketball), and fans took note, pinpointing the booths to get their hands on the hot items.
The Nostalgia Play
While bucket hats were an iconic look from the ’90s and early 2000s, they’re trendy once again among millennials, Gen Z and Gen Alpha, and ESPN leaned into the nostalgia with its activation. The ESPN Boardwalk brought ’90s vibes to life with a custom airbrushing station, graffiti designs, a boombox and an installation of stacked retro TVs. Add in a hip-hop soundtrack, and fans couldn’t help but be drawn in.
Technology Upgrades
On the flip side, some brands went all in on the latest technological innovations, incorporating them into their footprints to create an elevated experience. Invesco QQQ powered its Innovation Arena with AI, AR, motion tracking and cloud computing to put fans in the center of the March Madness action. AT&T invited fans to design their dream courts on a tablet, which then became a reality on a basketball court made up of giant interactive screens. And Coca-Cola gave fans the chance to play their team’s fight song by singing, high-fiving and dancing on a larger-than-life soundboard equipped with buttons, lights and screens.
Go here to read the full article.
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