As March Madness has officially hit the office once again, I have been more engaged with the different advertising than the games. CBS Sportsline is broadcasting all the games so people stuck in the office can watch while they “try” to work. Along with the games, you also get the ads, but the advertisers also can place a banner on the side of the screen similar to the standard pre-roll static ad while the games are playing.
During one of the breaks, I decided to click on an ad, and I must admit was pleasantly surprised by the Coke Zero microsite. The site was 100% geared towards March Madness and the games were actually fun to play. I think this is a much better usage of advertising dollars than spending big on the Super Bowl. This site has a viral affect around it, a lot more spots to promote it, and actually ties into the sporting event.
If marketers can continue this type of event engagement online, I see the Super Bowl losing its appeal. By the way, I stink at the office horse game, but love shooting t-shirts. Also, love the Bracket-O-Matic, maybe should haev used it rather than zany logic of TRYING to predict upsets. Good job Coke Zero, overall a great web site!
Tags: Coke Zero, March Madness, NCAA advertising
