Brands that had big ad plans for the NCAA Tournament are "scrambling to adjust their marketing" after the event was canceled on Thursday, according to E.J. Schultz of AD AGE. The tournament traditionally serves as a "major spring showcase for brands in a host of categories." Brands have "plowed hundreds of millions of dollars" into the tournament. Constellation Brands Senior VP/Brand Marketing for Corona John Alvarado said that the brand was "buying in the event this year in hopes of extending the beer’s reach 'outside of our core 120 days of summer.'" But now that the tournament is canceled, a brand spokesperson said they are "looking at where those dollars will be best served.” Coca-Cola had "planned to make a major push on Cherry Vanilla Coke during the tourney broadcast, but will now have to find another place for those ads." The tournament also was a "major platform for Coors Light and part of its plan to boost March media spending" by 20% from '19. Before the tournament was canceled, the Molson Coors brand had "already been forced to rethink its basketball-themed creative," opting "not to run a planned spot from DDB called the 'Official Beer of ‘Working’ Remotely' because the line -- designed to play into the notion that people stay at home to watch hoops -- was deemed insensitive as more people are forced to remain home because of the coronavirus." The brewer was going to "replace it with product-focused ads that must now run elsewhere" (ADAGE.com, 3/12).
