The NCAA Tournament regionals return to MSG tomorrow for the second time in three years, and the venue is continuing its effort to give marketing partners more outdoors digital exposure, taking advantage of the heavy foot traffic near the arena. MSG has signed up eight of its existing partners -- including Coca-Cola and Wendy’s, which also sponsor the NCAA -- to get 90-second rotational ads on the venue’s seven digital screens, as well the iconic MSG marquee. Chase, Anheuser-Busch, Royal Caribbean, Delta Air Lines, Lexus and jewelry brand Pandora are the other partners that signed up for the digital screens around the NCAA action. MSG Exec VP/Marketing Partnerships Ron Skotarczak said partners utilizing the digital displays typically have 1-3 months of inventory in their deals. “It’s been incredibly well received,” Skotarczak said of the digital presence outside The Garden. “It’s a great group of brands, many of which are leveraging and promoting, specifically, around the tournament.” Skotarczak noted the idea behind the digital screens, which were installed three years ago, came about when partners were “demanding more flexibility in the way they can promote through the partnership.” Skotarczak: “We’re in the middle of a massive digital transformation of our company and the first step was with the outdoor advertising. It has been a complete home run for us and for the brands. It allows them to be more flexible. They can change creative whenever they want. But the thing is we sit above the largest commuter hub in the world, and we’re often talking to potential partners about the eyeballs that exist near our venue that no other venue has. ... We’re the only venue in the world that has this much foot traffic coming by its front and back door.”
