Thompson’s agency, Atlanta-based Melt, works with clients such as Coca-Cola to identify marketing opportunities to the Gen Z audience and it has had an especially robust presence in college football. Founded in 2000, Melt is a full-service agency that began making a name for itself when Thompson initiated the idea to bring live music to the Final Four.
— As told to Michael Smith
We started working on “College GameDay” for Coca-Cola and Section Zero evolved out of that as an activation for Coke Zero. That’s a specific area within the GameDay footprint where we can host students, they’re within view of the cameras and they can feel like they’re part of the show. It’s interactive, the show’s hosts recognize them during the broadcast, they bring in their signs. We get on campus earlier in the week to start promoting it and the kids want to compete to be in Section Zero. We have a variety of competitions so they can earn spots in Section Zero, like trivia and some different types of stunts. Then when the show starts, they’re in it, they’re part of it.
The popular language now is to call it the “gamification” of the fan experience. Make the kids feel like they’re part of the game, or the show. This coming college football season will be the seventh year we’ve done this. Coca-Cola is doing a ton of research and testing to learn how they can link their brands more into the emotional experience of attending a college football game. More brands should follow their lead.
When you think about potential trends for the future, I’m watching Alabama and what they’re doing with Bryant-Denny Stadium to raise the level of sophistication for the fan experience. You’re seeing third parties like Tailgate Guys evolving the fan experience. But what really stands out in the college experience is what Auburn coach Bruce Pearl is doing to generate support for basketball in what has traditionally been a football town. He visits students in the cafeteria, in the frat houses, he goes where they are to make that connection. Students go to games now because they know him. He’s made himself part of the fabric in Auburn and students are responding to that connection.
