Ad sales for the NCAA Tournament are 95% sold -- a figure that is similar to previous years in the days leading up to the first round. CBS Exec VP/Sports Sales & Marketing John Bogusz said, "The first weekend is very tight. It’s a little bit more open in the Sweet 16." He also said the early Final Four game on CBS is sold out, with only a few units available for the second semifinal and championship game. Meanwhile, Geico and Uber Eats have bought time across all the networks showing tourney games. Insurance and tech (Amazon, Apple, Google Cloud) have also increased their spending. Automotive still is a big category, but its spending is flat compared to last year (John Ourand, THE DAILY).
EMOTIONAL RESCUE: In Chicago, David Haugh reports Pizza Hut will use the "forlorn face" of a 12-year-old Northwestern fan made famous during the '17 NCAA Tournament as part of its activation during this year's event. The pizza chain will feature John Phillips' "anguished image" in a 15-second spot being dubbed the "What-Just-Happened Wail." Pizza Hut paid Phillips, the son of Northwestern AD Jim Phillips, for the use of his image, but at the now 14-year-old's request, that money will be directed to Pizza Hut's Book It! and Harvest programs. Laura Phillips, John's mother, "declined to disclose the amount of John's donation but conceded it was 'a nice chunk of change'" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 3/19). Pizza Hut is entering its third year as an official NCAA sponsor, and it is using the tourney as a platform to relaunch its P'Zone offering. In addition to Phillips, other famous and meme-worthy fan reaction moments will be featured (Pizza Hut).
HAVE A SEAT: ADWEEK's Doug Zanger noted Buffalo Wild Wings in a new spot is highlighting the fact that there is a 30% increase in vasectomy procedures during the NCAA Tournament by creating "what is known as the Jewel Stool." The special barstool has a "cooling apparatus that allows basketball fans who got the snip to have some relief in their nether region." It comes with a "nifty, chilled cup holder and a convenient 'beer me' light." The chain will debut the Jewel Stool at two locations in Times Square and L.A. As the ad "repeatedly notes, this invention is totally a gag and not something you should really use after getting snipped." Buffalo Wild Wings also rolled out some new ads for March Madness courtesy of The Martin Agency, marking the "first work for the brand since the agency snapped up Buffalo Wild Wings as creative AOR back in November" (ADWEEK.com, 3/18).
