Capital One Rolls Out March Madness Ad Campaign With Focus On Digital, Social Media

Capital One has "already begun to roll out activations and advertisements" around the NCAA men's basketball tournament, and much of it "will be focused digitally," according to Kristi Dosh of ESPN.com. The company, one of three NCAA Corporate Championship partners, will have "six online-only commercials this year to complement its two national television commercials that will be running." All the ads will feature actor Alec Baldwin and TNT's Charles Barkley. Capital One Senior VP/Brand Marketing Marc Mentry said, "So many people consume digital channels, and we always want to be fresh. If they see one or two ads and it’s the same thing on every channel all the time, we know they get burnt out." Dosh noted in addition to the online-only ads, Capital One will "engage fans through social media channels by allowing the team with the most vocal fans to take over Capital One’s own social media accounts." Fans can "use the hashtag #rallycry any time you discuss your team on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube," and the team with the "'loudest and proudest' fans will be featured prominently on Capital One’s social media websites, which will be bathed in that team’s colors." Fans also receive 10% off "select tickets" to tournament games if they "purchase tournament tickets through the NCAA with their Capital One card" (ESPN.com, 3/11).

FATHER FIGURES: AD AGE's Jack Neff reports Dove Men+Care is breaking a new campaign this week called "Real Moments" that are scheduled to run throughout the NCAA tournament and focus on "real-life fatherhood tales" from Heat G Dwyane Wade and ESPN's Jay Bilas. Unilever VP/Marketing for Skincare Rob Candelino said, "We wanted something to show real men in real life." He added what most men in Dove's target demo say "is 'First and foremost, I'm a dad.'" So Unilever is "replacing its three-year-old 'Journey to Comfort' campaign, focused on broader real-life stories of sports figures, with one focused squarely on fatherhood." L.A.-based Davie Brown Entertainment "created the campaign for TV, digital and in-store video." The campaign will "run on CBS and Turner TV networks and CBSSports.com, along with a customized timeline and videos on a content hub celebrating the 75th anniversary of March Madness at NCAA.com" (ADAGE.com, 3/12).