Marketing Scenario for the NCAA

The first thing that I would do to ensure that this event goes off without so much as a hitch is to hold a press conference announcing the location of the site, dates, and premium seating for the event. I would actually conduct this press release as soon as possible so that people are aware of where the opening rounds of the event will be. To garner maximum publicity and exposure for this particular event, I would not only have it attended by representatives of the men’s basketball team from my school (including the coach and a few of the higher scoring players), but I would also have it attended by well-known players from other schools who are perennial contenders. I would definitely make every effort possible to ensure that there would be as many representatives from the winning team of this year’s (2013’s) NCAA men’s basketball tournament present, as well as representatives from as many other regions and teams as possible.

In order to deliver on a top-notch sports marketing campaign, I would structure the press release in a way so that it emphasizes the projected fun and high level of competition of the tournament, I would have the various representatives from each team engage in a roundtable discussion about their future prospects. Of course, the current winner would more than likely have priority over the others in terms of conviction, but it would be a fun, lively way to engage the basketball community in dialogue prior to any serious competition. The formal of the roundtable discussion would function so that I would host and ask provoking questions such as whether or not the winning team believed they could repeat, how great an effect its loss of seniors would be, and other questions that would actively involve participation from virtually all of the representatives from other teams.

Both prior to and well after the highly publicized press conference, I would also publicize this even through the internet. Evidence suggests that one of the most efficacious means of fostering community relations is via the web and social media (“How social contagion”, 2004). Not only would I utilize all of the conventional social media channels (such as Twitter, Facebook, and even Linked In where applicable), I would also create a website specifically for the hosting of the NCAA tournament. Naturally, it would be accessible through links from the school’s website and from that of its basketball team. I would also attempt to procure the cooperation of the schools and perennial men’s basketball powers who regularly attend the tournament to ask them if they would link to the site as well. It is critical to regularly update these sites to makes them useful for the purposes of marketing (“Who can you trust?”, 2006)

I would also set up a Facebook page specifically for the first couple of rounds of the upcoming men’s tournament, as well as a Youtube channel. On the latter, I would show highlights from not only my school and its men’s basketball team, but also from the other schools who might agree to license their images for the sake of promotion. We would also feature highlights from the press conference with some of the more controversial or thought-provoking statements from the participants, and generally attempt to build an NCAA frenzy as early as possible that was focused on various aspects of the upcoming season. For instance, during the summer we would show footage in which we were conducting interviews with players from my school and others in which they discussed their off-peak season regiment and specific plans for the future.

When the season began in the fall we would actively cover not just my school but those of the other dominant teams that were looking as though they would make it to the next year’s tournament. It is critical to note that this footage—whether in the form of text for quotations or in still photographs as well as in video images, would also be featured on the school’s website and the websites created for the tournament on Facebook and the regular one. In such a way I would build up momentum online to the tournament itself, aided by additional press conferences and rallies leading up to the tournament. 

References

“How social contagion affects consumers' willingness to try online retailers”. (2004). Retrieved from http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=1056

“Who can you trust on the internet?” (2006). www.ameinfo.com  Retrieved from http://www.ameinfo.com/96299.html