Coca-Cola Featuring Coke Zero, Vitaminwater During Tourney
Coca-Cola is putting its Coke Zero and Vitaminwater brands "on center stage for the next three weeks as the NCAA men's basketball tournament continues," according to Joe Guy Collier of the ATLANTA CONSTITUTION. Coke Zero for the second straight year is the "lead soft-drink brand for Coca-Cola's NCAA efforts." The brand is running a "Taste the Madness" campaign, in which Coca-Cola, through www.tastethemadness.com, is "collecting vignettes of fans showing their passion for their teams." The top entries "will be featured in a TV commercial" airing during the April 6 championship game. Coca-Cola's marketing campaign "also includes product samplings across college campuses, point-of-sale materials in stores" and sponsoring CBS' March Madness on Demand. Meanwhile, Vitaminwater is "pushing a 'Revive to Survive' theme" as part of a "broad marketing campaign that includes product sampling, TV commercials and a Web presence." Vitaminwater also is "on the sidelines" of the tournament as part of an exclusive deal that "highlights the brand's Revive flavor" (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 3/21). Vitaminwater during CBS' NCAA tournament second-round coverage on Saturday debuted a new ad featuring former NBAer Christian Laettner and current Louisville coach Rick Pitino that refers to Laettner's famed shot during the '92 Duke-Kentucky game. The ad, which was produced by Ammirati, N.Y., will remain in heavy rotation throughout the tournament (THE DAILY).
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NCAA Logo Appears At Tournament Sites
"By The Thousands" To Give Uniform Look |
SEEKING UNIFORMITY: In Portland, Ryan White noted one cannot "get near the court at the tournament with a beverage that isn't in the approved Vitaminwater cup." It "doesn't matter what's in" the Vitaminwater cup, but it "better be in that cup, because you can't hold a charming little tournament for the student-athletes and their schools without iron-fisted uniformity." White: "That's why each arena is made to look as identical as possible, with signage blacked out, and identical courts trucked in" (Portland OREGONIAN, 3/20). In Greensboro, Donald Patterson noted the NCAA's logo appears at tournament sites "by the thousands." Officials said that the logos "give the event a uniform look ... around the country and give players a sense that they're at a championship." Division I Men's Basketball Championship Dir Jacqie Carpenter: "We are trying to keep the buildings from site to site consistent." Patterson noted in past years that the Greensboro Coliseum hosted tournament games, arena officials "knew their own court, with its blue/green color scheme, would be used." However, the NCAA "brought in its own court" at an estimated cost of $80,000-100,000. Carpenter also confirmed that the NCAA required the arena "to cover 10,000 cup holders" that advertised Pepsi in the lower bowl (Greensboro NEWS & RECORD, 3/21).
GOING MOBILE: USA TODAY's Theresa Howard notes advertisers for CBS' coverage of the tournament "are getting a bonus: Their ads show up in games viewed on iPhones via a $4.99 CBS application." The advertisers "didn't know about the iPhone bonus when they made their TV ad buy," and the iPhone ads have been a "free bonus so far, but that could change after this year." Howard notes greater mobile distribution "should boost the out-of-home audience numbers CBS can tout for advertisers -- and put a price tag on" (USA TODAY, 3/23).
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