NCAA Tournament Basketball Marketing: What we can learn from #6 Seed Marquette

Today we continue on our journey into the East Region, from a marketing point of view. We're in search of inspiration - things that all of us can take and apply into our worlds. And, for fans, of each team, that's a look into what makes you special.

Thus far, we've reviewed top seeded Kentucky, #2 West Virginia, #3 New Mexico, and #4 Wisconsin, and #5 Temple.

We previously broke down Marquette Athletics' marketing efforts (here), and I'll do my best to add a new perspective on the Golden Eagles.

Let's roll.

East #6 Seed Marquette (Link Here)

What's Inspiring about Marquette Basketball Marketing?

1. Insider Blog with Insider Videos

You likely know I love the Marquette Athletics Blog if you checked out my previous take on Marquette's marketing (best in the Big East), link here. But this is a great chance for me to expand on why I dig it so much.

As you'll notice below, Marquette creates those videos by filming them and then uploading to YouTube before finally dropping them into this blog. What does that get you? First, it's easy to share them. You can watch that YouTube interview and send it just about anywhere -- to your own blog or Facebook page. Secondly, you can subscribe - thus getting notified whenever Marquette drops a new one. And, finally, they get a deep YouTube channel in the process.

But it could still get better. How?

• Allow fans to shape the experience. As you'll see in a minute, they have a fantastic fan base. And this could connect that base even more tightly.
• Leverage Facebook. How they can do things like leverage Facebook for topics/questions plus to drive visibility of this concept can really help it take off.

2. Elevating your Pro Alumni.

It sounds basic. But very few do it. As you'll note in the shot below of the Marquette basketball home page, Marquette pumps their site full of Dwayne Wade references. From stories on his charitable work to a direct link to his site, Marquette is on the right path here. How much better a program does MU feel like once you think about it as the point where Wade began?

And, from watching last week's Sweet 16 games in St Louis, you see there's a powerful connection between an alum and their team. Magic Johnson was there, not just supporting the Spartan Squad but interacting with fans and the media. I think we could see a similar evolution of D Wade.

3. Facebook and Fan Groups help cultivate and elevate Fans.

Marquette's Athletics Facebook page, here, is thriving. They have 11,000 fans, and they engage them with a very personal dialogue. Check this sample post (in the image below, though it's a bit tough to read so I'll re-type it now). Warning, powerful emotional connection coming.

"I'm so thankful and humbled to be here. I absolutely love what our institution is about; it mirrors what I believe, personally. I love these kids." -Buzz"

Marquette also introduced a concept around their most passionate fans, Marquette Superfans (linked here.) Clicking in shows you a screen of teams that the Golden Eagles have matched up with...

And, clicking in takes you to the image below - a deep scouting report on the next matchup. I love this, as it is arming the fan base with the very information their players get (or close to it). This creates a much better heckling fan and a much tougher home court advantage.

How could we make this better?

• Start by elevating this content into the Facebook page. I think you have a very deep, personal connection there -- and this is a chance to take that connection and make it deeper (and more of them!)
• Could you tie this into a Game Day blog? Things like sign ideas, chant ideas, and keys to the game. I think we are on the cusp of something great here!

That's it. I'm going to keep rolling tomorrow!

Andy

NCAA Tournament Basketball Marketing: What we can learn from #5 Seed Temple

Today we continue on our journey into the East Region, from a marketing point of view. We're in search of inspiration - things that all of us can take and apply into our worlds. And, for fans, of each team, that's a look into what makes you special.

Thus far, we've reviewed top seeded Kentucky, #2 West Virginia, #3 New Mexico, and #4 Wisconsin.

We previously broke down Temple Athletics (here), and I'll do my best to add a new perspective on the Owls.

Let's roll.

East #5 Seed Temple (Link Here)

What Inspired Me About Temple Basketball?

1. Hear Coach Dunphy's take on Lexy.

This is pretty interesting. If you hadn't heard of Lexy, it's probably worth a click here. Lexy allows you to use your phone, create a playlist, and sign up to get alerts on when the latest broadcast is up. And that playlist becomes kind of an audio version of Twitter, but it goes much further than that since you aren't limited to 140 characters in your audio.

I like this for many reasons. First, it is a signal that Coach Dunphy is moving to the front end of technology by becoming a part of this. There's not to many coaches here, and the fact that he's early in this is pretty sweet. Next, it allows you to be heard. I think that you can get a lot out of the tone of someone's voice. It really does connect you in a way that's more intimate than a video message or a text. You can sign up to get these. And, finally, they are by pure definition, mobile. So a kid can take these with him or her as they hit the road.

Clicking in takes you here. (See below) Note the sign up on the right hand side of this window.

How could we make this better?

• Start by giving us a little more information on what we get. Don't just say "Coach Dunphy's Take," but rather let us know more about what he's going to talk about.
• Add a participation element. Let fans vote on the topic.
• Archive these posts on TempleOwls.com.

2. Photography you can't find anywhere else.

Take one look at the picture below and tell me how anyone else could get this photo? It's impossible. It's intimate, and thus, it has power.

Temple has a gallery (shown below) of photos around the team and their appearance in this year's NCAA Tournament. This is great. It's very much a gallery that only the Owls themselves could make.

How could they improve this?

• Leverage social media. These pictures should be posted on Facebook, and thus easy to share. They are great, it's just tough to leverage these into your own site.
• Give these to other Owls blogs. What? Give away the great stuff they have? Yes. I think a partnership with other Owls sites will only more deeply connect fans and recruits to the program. And photos are one way of doing just this.

3. Temple Brings the Atlantic 10 Conference's Social Marketing to their space.

In the Owls Social Media directory, shown above and here, you'll see something we don't see that often. They take the Atlantic 10 (and the Mid-American) Conference and include access right here, on the Temple site.

How could we make this even better?

• A weakness of this layout is that you have to click on to the A-10 Twitter link in order to see this. I'd love to see Temple include a feed that literally brought the A-10 Twitter page into the Temple site. Or better yet, that combined A-10 Basketball posts with Temple posts together. The interaction between the 2 could become addicting and powerful.
• Can they get the A-10 to do the same thing? Elevate the Temple social media presence on the conference site and Twitter page?

That's it. I hope you're enjoying this. We'll keep moving through the East bracket tomorrow.

NCAA Tournament Basketball Marketing: What we can learn from #4 Seed Wisconsin

Today we continue on our journey into the East Region, from a marketing point of view. We're in search of inspiration - things that all of us can take and apply into our worlds. And, for fans, of each team, that's a look into what makes you special.

Thus far, we've reviewed top seeded Kentucky, #2 West Virginia, and #3 New Mexico.

Let's keep moving.

East #4 Seed Wisconsin (link here)

What's Inspiring about Wisconsin Basketball Marketing?

1. Pre-Filtering the Basketball out of the Blog

Blogs = news. It's kind of interesting if you think about it. Not too long ago we all viewed news as one thing and blogs as more of a gossip kind of thing. But not anymore. Wisconsin brings these together, taking their athletics blog and letting you find all the latest hoops blogs entries right from the comfort of the basketball website.

I love this. Now how could it get better? Really, I like this integration -- but would love two things:

• Integrate more Badgers Blogs!
• Build the opportunity to sign up to get more of these updates

2. Own Game Day with a Blog

One thing Blogs can do is help athletics websites become what they need to be: gathering places for fans all day long on a game day. Why not? Come to the Wisconsin site and sound off, get updates, and connect with others on game day. They have the unique opportunity to be both a connector of fans and one who carries an authentic voice. That's exactly what you'll see below...

Now that you have this gathering place, how can we make it better?

• Live audio. Why not pump in the Wisconsin radio here? Let me listen to the Voice of the Badgers while I chat with my fellow fans!
• Scouting reports. Big opportunity to share the word on who you are facing off with. Let fans learn about those players they'll be taunting soon!

3. Practice Reports inside Facebook!

I've never seen anything like this one before. The Wisconsin Athletics Facebook presence (link here) is the home to just shy of 100,000 passionate Badgers fans. And they are getting a unique message out to fans.

As you can see below, the Badgers are publishing Spring Football updates through their Facebook feed. That's impressive. Come here, and you'll see what happened each day in practice. Then they include a link for highlights. Nice.

This is fantastic, as it allows us access to one thing (practice) that no one gets access to. And limited access = big potential value to fans (and recruits!!!) Besides taking this and moving it onto basketball, how could it get better?

• Video built into Facebook. Why not allow fans to watch the videos right here, right now. Don't make us go somewhere else to watch them.
• Make it super easy to share these with your friends.
• Could there be a Facebook Field Reporter (Court Reporter) who can bring these stories to fellow fans?

That's it.

Come back tomorrow as we keep breaking down the marketing efforts inside the East Region.

NCAA Tournament Basketball Marketing: What we can learn from #3 Seed New Mexico

Today we continue on our journey into the East Region, from a marketing point of view. We're in search of inspiration - things that all of us can take and apply into our worlds. And, for fans, of each team, that's a look into what makes you special.

Thus far, we've reviewed top seeded Kentucky and #2 West Virginia.

Let's keep moving.

East #3 Seed New Mexico (link here)

What's Inspiring about New Mexico Basketball Marketing?

1. Future Lobos. As in Future Basketball Lobos.

I have to admit the setup here is just outstanding. We've seen a lot of schools elevate a section for Recruits, often called "For Recruits." That's ok, I guess. I loved Oregon's "Be A Duck" section (see that here). But most schools take you from that section straight into a general recruit home page. That's ok, I guess, as you could make a statement that all prospective student athletes value the same things... but I disagree. I think you want to hit up a prospective men's basketball athlete differently than a prospective women's basketball athlete. New Mexico does just that, via a simple navigation element that lets you quickly say, "I don't just want to be a Lobo. I want to be a Lobo basketball player." Solid.

Here's that menu:

And that takes you to this basketball experience!

2. Hang in the Locker Room with a player.

The locker room. It's the place where you as an athlete spend SO much time. Getting ready for practice or a workout. Watching film. Listening to movies. Just hanging out. And we seldom get to see anything about this interaction. But the Lobos bring this to you. It's a simple thing - a handheld camera with a player just cutting loose. Through these videos, you get to chill with Lobo Darington Hobson. You know what the locker room vibe is like by watching this. And you feel more connected to the Lobos.

How could this be better?

1. Predictability. Could this be a weekly feature? Talk about the week that was and what's coming next. Interview other players and "special guests." Keep it loose and fun, but let us know what we're going to see so we are ready for the next webisode.
2. Make it easy to share and subscribe. Now that we have a regularly scheduled thing, let's allow prospects to sign up to get more of these. And to share them with their friends - by putting them onto YouTube or Facebook and then pumping them into the site.
3. Foster interaction. Maybe fans could have a role in determining what comes next. Ask questions to the squad. Shape the topics. I think the players would dig this and fans would go nuts.

3. Get Pumped with a Weight Room tour.

Weights. If you want to hit your potential, no doubt you're going to need to hit this room early and often. But many student athletes don't have a feel for what that means before they get to college. Mark Paulsen is New Mexico's Director of Strength & Conditioning. And he gives you a personal tour of their 10,000 square foot facility.

The tour is fantastic. It feels personal. You feel like Coach Paulsen knows what he's talking about and that he's a genuine person. Plus the facility looks fantastic.

So how could we make this even better?

1. What if this actually shared the programs these athletes are doing? Crazy? Is it too risky to let opponents know what they are doing? I don't think so. It's just bold. It reminds me of the legend of Larry Bird -- telling you where he was going to shoot from to beat you and then doing it. Same thing here. It would make a statement to show you what athletes are actually doing on a given week.
2. Incorporate athletes in the video. What is their opinion of the program? What have they learned? How has their strength or conditioning approved since they became a Lobo? Show the progress to help kids imagine where they themselves could go.

That's it.

I'm a big fan of what the Lobos are doing! Come back on Monday as we keep moving.

NCAA Tournament Basketball Marketing: What we can learn from West Virginia

Today we continue on our journey into the East Region, from a marketing point of view. We're in search of inspiration - things that all of us can take and apply into our worlds. And, for fans, of each team, that's a look into what makes you special.

Thus far, we've reviewed top seeded Kentucky.

Let's keep moving.

East #2 Seed West Virginia (link here)

What Inspires Me about the Mountaineers?

1. Leave our teams a message

This is a fascinating concept. It's really simple, but very impactful. You click into the feature and come to the image below. You have two successful programs - the men's and women's basketball teams, and you're given the opportunity to voice your appreciation for the program...

When you click into the Men's Team Page, you are taken to the image below, where you can both review posts from other fans and add your own. There's something powerful about being immersed in the world of your peers, celebrating success.

So how could this be better? I see two big things that could help.

1. Take these posts and pump them into the Men's Basketball site. Think of a Twitter ticker, like we saw in Duquesne's site, here. That way the site feels alive, like you're constantly in the sea of support!
2. Let us know how the team will receive these. Could this ticker also show up in the locker room? That'd be amazing! Or is it going to be printed out and made into signs or tees or something. I love the idea, but if you, the fan, know how they are going to be delivered to the program then.... Wow.

2. The bright light of Flip Video.

As you can see below, the men's basketball section provides inside access to interviews via Flip Video. Let's click in.

Clicking in gives you Flip Videos, loaded to YouTube, and embedded into the WVU site. That's smart. I have written about this before, but I think WVU takes this to a new level. It's simple (any of us can film with a $199 flip camera). It's easy to upload to YouTube. But doing this allows WVU to both provide realtime insider access AND make it easy to sign up to get more of these. Really smart.

How could it get better? This is super cool stuff, but could be better if they elevated this a little more. Create a big button to let people know that these Flip Cam stories are coming and intimate and available for you to subscribe. It's great, just let us know about it!

3. The WVU Widget let's you take a bit of West Virginia with you.

This is one of those things I can't believe more people aren't doing yet. It's super smart. Click in here, and you'll see this. I'll wait for you....

West Virginia makes it easy for you to take their site and pump it into your blog through this widget. Simple, and powerful. So if WVU updates their site, your blog updates as well. I'm not sure how successful these have been (I'd love to know!), but to me they are getting exponentially more viewers for every update they make thanks to this little guy.

That's a wrap.

Come back tomorrow as we keep moving through the East Region!

NCAA Basketball Marketing: What we can learn from the Kentucky Wildcats

Today we begin our journey into the East Region, from a marketing point of view. We're in search of inspiration - things that all of us can take and apply into our worlds. And, for fans, of each team, that's a look into what makes you special.

East #1 Seed Kentucky (link here)

1. Wildcat Recaps. You can click in here to find these (shown below). But they are just incredible. Essentially, the UK team puts together highlights of each game, and then includes segments from Coach Calipari in the locker room before the game. So you're able to see and hear the pre-game talk to the Cats, followed by how that played out in the game. Amazing. And as a potential recruit, you get a look into how the team prepares for each game, how the coaches engage in the locker room, and well you just feel like you're a part of the team.

How could these get better? It's really about accelerating things - do more of these, as often as you can! The UK team could make it easier to share these clips, and to subscribe to have them sent to you the second a new one updates. This is truly fantastic!

2. Cat Scratches Blog.

Linked here, I was fully impressed by the Cat Scratches Blog on many levels. First, it does a great job as a blog. By that I mean they are timely and detailed in their posts. You get the feel (as you probably should) that this is a blog written by an insider. And you definitely feel closer to the program by reading this. Check.

But the Cat Scratches blog goes beyond this. First, they integrate the UK Athletics Twitter feed (shown below). So now, as the team updates Twitter, the blog feels more alive. That's smart and makes this all feel more dynamic.

Then, they pull in easy links to UK across the internet -- blogs and websites. I loved this! The UK team doesn't view this blog's sole job as trying to get you to spend your whole day on it. They want to connect you to the Cats. And this is one way of doing it, just like when you show up at a new job and get introduced to your teammates. Nice! The other great thing about this is that by linking out to other blogs, they are no doubt getting other blogs to link into them: and thus are amping up the reach of the UK Cat Scratches universe.

Finally, the latest comments from fans are pulled into this site, allowing you the diehard UK fan to become a part of this blog simply by shouting out about the team you no doubt love!

So how do we make this better? I'd love to see more interaction from the network of UK bloggers here, on this site. They are linked in, but how can we take those who no doubt bleed blue and allow them to help shape the path of this blog? It could be by allowing them to write on the blog. Or it could be by elevating what they are already writing on their blogs. But that collective power is something to behold.

3. Coach Calipari's energy.

We all no doubt know of the dominance Coach Calipari has on Twitter (click here if you don't!) With over 1.1 million followers, he has a passionate and enormous fan base ready to be inspired. And inspire he does, offering a combination of frequent posts (in both text and audio formats - how cool is that? (Most of us have trouble just getting to text format!) He also offers genuine support for other UK programs, and frequently shares great articles on the internet about his squad. You do feel closer to all of UK by reading his Twitter posts, which is simply fantastic.

Now if you weren't aware of this Twitter dominance, you also could find out by checking out his website, CoachCal.com (link here).

This site offers a magical box in the lower right hand corner (shown below). This offers a daily update from Cal, which can include videos (as shown below), links from the internet, or simply thoughts of the day. It's almost always updated and interesting.

As you'll see next, you can click on the other headlines in this magical box and see Coach Cal's Twitter posts...

...His Charitable goals (which is pretty powerful and elevated - no doubt showing you how important this is to Coach!)

And, finally, a list of all things new for the site. A simple glance below tells you that this site is definitely alive!

It's that energy that makes Cal effective and as followed as he is. How do we make this better? This is a tough question. I think the opportunity is to make this conversation a little more two-way. Drive more participation from this 1.1 million large network of fans. Coach will still drive this, but I'd love to see these fans get more participative in the way this site evolves!

Come back tomorrow as we move down that East bracket!

Coming Next from Digital Hoops Blast: The NCAA Tournament played out in the world of Marketing...

This year's tournament feels different than most. Perhaps it's because we now have a Sweet 16 field with 4 true mid-majors (Northern Iowa, Saint Mary's, Cornell, & Xavier). But it is clear that this is a year in which high majors are being challenged by mid-majors.

And that has inspired a new journey for Digital Hoops Blast. Every day colleges are going head-to-head in a battle for share of a recruit's mind. So with that, we're going to take the next several weeks and evaluate the field of 65 from a marketing point of view.

We'll go through this team by team, region by region and give you a look at a breakdown of the field, in search of inspiration. For each team, you'll find:

• 3 inspiring things that we can all learn from. It's these 3 things that are likely to help the team advance in the marketing version of the NCAA Tournament (coming soon!)
• Facebook & Twitter. This is the daily opportunity to connect with recruits and fans, in their worlds. And these can also be drivers back into the athletics site, much like a pair of good guards who can put the rock in the hands of their big when he's in a position to succeed.
• The coach. Can we learn about his style, system, or personality?
• Where they are vulnerable. This is both an opportunity to improve and an area that could hurt them in a tough matchup.

And of course, we'll then unveil what the tournament would look like if it weren't played out on the courts, but rather on the internet.

Without further adieu, we'll get moving tomorrow, with the East Region...

What if March Madness were May Madness? Graduation Rates and The Tournament

As you may know, I was very pumped at what Villanova does on their website. They are the only school I've come across who builds and elevates a section of their basketball website (NovaNation.com - link here, image below) to "Life After Basketball."

I loved this for so many reasons. It's a bit ironic, that elevating academics can become bold. But few schools do this, and the fact that it is elevated alongside the other "next level" is really exciting.

When you click in, you also get access to the image below - a word doc of athletics alums, and where they are now -- whether it's in the world of accounting, HR, or coaching. And it is positioned in a way that you feel any path is a great path, if it is true to you.

So that was in my mind as I came across this read (link here) diving into the graduation rates of NCAA basketball teams. It really got me thinking about the role academics could play in some families' college basketball decisions. When you look into this, it's pretty impressive that (in the time period studied) BYU, Duke, Marquette, Notre Dame, Villanova, and Wake Forest had graduated over 90% of their players on time. That's another good reason for Villanova's statement above! On the other hand, only 8% of Maryland basketball players had earned degrees on time. That's a red flag to me. Wow.

And then there's this piece of goodness (thanks Wendy for the tip!) Taking student body graduation rates and playing out this year's NCAA Tournament as if games were determined solely by how high the graduation rate was at each school. It proves brackets for anything are fun, and it also proves that March Madness would be nowhere near as interesting to watch if that's how things went down! Your Final Four: Kansas, Duke, BYU, and Texas. Full read here, the bracket is below (hope it shows up ok!)

OK, can't wait for day two of Madness!!! Here's to hoping your bracket is better than mine...

One Shining Moment Reinvented...

As we kick off the games today (cannot wait!), I felt compelled to write not about the start of the action, but rather about the end of this year's tournament, and how it will change...

CBS announced that One Shining Moment, the amazing end of the tournament action, will be performed by Jennifer Hudson, rather than Luther Vandross like previous years (link to full story here).

Before I go any deeper, here's last season's video. If you've somehow not discovered these musical compilations, let me give you a quick overview. After the National Title game is completed and the nets have been cut down from each basket, CBS airs a compilation of the best highlights of the tournament, set to the song "One Shining Moment".

The song itself has deep roots. It was written by David Barrett, after he watched Larry Bird take Indiana State to the title game in 1979. It was reinterpreted by Teddy Pendergrass (1994-1999) and then the Luther Vandross version we all know and you'll hear below. This is a powerful inspirational song, and it somehow brings me to tears every time I watch one. Even if you have seen these, they are worth a click in!

2009

2008

Now I've really wondered why this hasn't gone any further than it is. It's a smoking hot video that college basketball fans stay glued to the TV in order to watch. It's the same music each year, but with current highlights. Now, maybe it will change this year with Jennifer Hudson at the helm... But that doesn't tap into the potential this song has in the game of basketball.

Here's some thought starters...

1. The song = championship. And thus, I'd love to see it extended to conference tournaments. It feels like there's a great chance to have versions floating around YouTube for every mid and low-major conference. If you are a North Texas fan, wouldn't you want the Mean Green version this year?
2. The song = contest. CBS tried a One Shining Moment mashup in 2008 (link here). It didn't gain a lot of traction but from my recollection there were two things that limited it and which might not be as much an issue now: Video quality (which has much improved) and the ability to tell your own version (which means using your own images or video, and which also thanks to the FlipCam, Facebook, and Flickr has dramatically improved)
3. The song = championships at other levels: Why not empower high school and youth basketball coaches to make versions around their teams and then create a stage to play them from? That could be incredible!!!

I'm pretty excited about this year's field. Something tells me there will be volatility early and that will lead to an amazing tourney (and video at the end!) Let's go!

March Madness: How the NCAA Viewing Experience is Evolving

As we sit here on the eve of March Madness, I wanted to reflect at just how far the viewing experience has come, so quickly. Television networks like CBS don't get much accolades for evolving with technology. But the NCAA Tournament is proof that things really are advancing at a rapid clip.

CBS Announced that this year we will be able to watch the NCAA Tournament via a 3G iPhone App. (link here) At a cost of $9.99, this will revolutionize the viewing experience for many of us.



What does this mean?

Well, first of all, you now will have full access to every game on your iPhone. Seriously. As in you can watch every close finish, every buzzer beater, every moment of your team. That's amazing. I'll write more about this once I've actually been able to experience it but in reality that degree of access & control is pretty revolutionary.

Just last year, CBS allowed you to watch the games on your iPhone. But that required you to be connected to a wireless network. So you could go to your favorite wifi hot spot and catch the games. Nice, but limiting. This year, you can go anywhere you get a signal.

Two years ago, in the 2008 tournament, CBS unveiled March Madness on Demand. That service let you watch all the games from the comfort of your laptop. That was pretty insane. I remember how blown away I was that year. Oh how little I knew!

Before this, I remember the DirecTV NCAA Tournament package. I believe the year was around 2000, when we were first able to watch all of the NCAA games, from the comfort of our own living rooms. No longer were we forced to travel to a sports bar if we didn't want to watch the game for our local market.

I take us on this journey so we both can smile at where we are now, and look to the future.

Where could this be going? Here are a couple ways I think we could see an even more insane look at the tournament...

1. Multiple camera views. MLB introduced this in their World Series app last winter. You can choose the camera angle you want and get access to their live audio feed.
2. Custom audio. Rather than simply have the CBS announcers, we could be given the ability to choose either the underdog or the favorite in our audio feed. This is similar to what the NBA currently does in their iPhone app.
3. Access. What if we could actually get (perhaps on a tape delay if need be) a look into the pre-game, half time, and post-game speeches in the locker rooms? How insane would that be?
4. Real time participation with peers. I'd love to see this built in. Imagine if it's a time out, tie score, with 30 seconds left. Could CBS build in real-time polling with those who are in to see the opinions on what play should be drawn up?
5. Real-time expectations: Who will win the game, tracked throughout the game in real time... I've always dug the Fox NFL coverage where announcers choose who will win in pre game and half time. But why not open this up?

No doubt things will get even better. It's amazing how innovative CBS has become, and I look forward to next season already!!!

Game time is tomorrow!!!

Does March Madness Really Cause Lost Productivity?

I came across a report that March Madness could cost employers a total of $1.8 Billion in lost productivity this year (link here). It's a pretty interesting read, and the logic is there. Let me give you the highlights, in case you don't want to go for the deep read.

• This report is based on 20 minutes of daily time wasting. They go on to say it could consist of trash talking at the water cooler or watching live videos of games during business hours.
• That 20 minutes is then applied to a number (45%) of Americans who planned to enter at least one bracket pool this year and multiplied by our total non-farm work force.
• Finally, they take that times an average hourly rate times the number of days in the tournament to get a total of $1.8 Billion.

But this report irked me. Because I think there are some important things they overlooked. CBS kind of gets this, as they had some fun with this concept, introducing the Boss Button in 2008 -- a button you could quickly hit to pull up this image (below) and immediately hide your streaming video of the NCAA Tournament plus turn off the sound. According to CBS, it was used 2.77 Million times last year (link here, wow). That would allow you to pretend you weren't actually watching the games but were hard at work on a pretty spreadsheet. (which would never work for someone like me who could never make a spreadsheet that hot!)

But that's not the point. The point is this whole concept is fun. Which brings me to my issues with this statement of lost productivity.

1. Time wasting. This is an assumption on 2 fronts. First, that people who would "waste" 20 minutes talking about the tournament would otherwise be working and not "wasting" time talking about television shows, movies, music, family, or current events. Second, that the act of enjoying banter with your co-workers is actually wasting time. I've found that the more comfortable you feel around your co-workers, the more productive you actually end up being...
2. Nothing else changes. I've found that if you can find time to get a workout in during the day (in the morning or at lunch), I end up being a LOT more productive the rest of my day. The point they are making is that we end up wasting 20 minutes and then don't get any more (or less) productive with the rest of our days.
3. Camaraderie. What is the value in feeling more connected to those who work for you, or who you work for? Much like a team lunch can bring people closer, so can the NCAA Tournament!

I think it is safe to say the NCAA Tournament pulls people away from their desks and connects them to others in ways we can't quite measure. And reports about the "lost" productivity hide the gains in productivity from being energized around a topic and connecting with your peers.

Nike Basketball Wants You to Back Your Squad

Disclaimer alert.

I led this project at Nike and thus almost didn't put this in my blog at all. But I'm so excited (it's easily the most exciting project I've ever worked on) and I know many of you who follow this blog would be interested in what we're doing so I'll cover this here.

Everything starts around the energy of fans and teams. Click here to watch a video that shows the juxtaposition of fans and athletes getting ready for battle. (Lots of fun!)

When you get to the site (link here) revolves around 65 of our top programs. (see the map below) I'm a big fan of maps, in general, and it's pretty sweet to see all of these programs together at once. When you think of the amount of energy at this time of year, it's pretty exciting. And you get a feeling that the Atlantic Coast is a basketball megalopolis.

You're able to click into every team and see a video by Jay Bilas on what makes that team a tough matchup (if nothing else, those videos are cool to watch before you fill out your bracket next week!) On this page (Link here, I'm showing the Murray State home page below), you'll see that there's a scroll of fan support that has poured into the site from Racers fans!

If you click into Back Your Squad, you're taken to this page where you get a chance to Devote Your Facebook status to your team. I love the symbolism here. Give up your social status in support of your team. That's how much you love them. And give them a shout out for the tourney, here as well. The team with the most support when the action starts Thursday wins a Pep Rally thrown by Nike next fall. I'm pumped about that, as I feel a little like a team in the tourney. I know I'm going somewhere, not sure where...

Though if you look at the leader board now, odds are I'm heading to Seattle, Washington or Cedar Falls, Iowa. Who would have thought that? I'm wondering if word will get out to Durham, NC or East Lansing, MI -- 2 rabid fan bases who haven't made a run yet.

Please check out the site, here. And back a team. And leave me a comment to let me know what you think!

Andy

Atlantic 10 Conference Basketball Marketing: What We Can Learn from #1 Dayton

There's something (or things) that every program does a fantastic job of that we can learn from. In anything you do, if you can find the good in what someone does and do more of that and then avoid what you find to be less effective, you'll end up in a better place.

Thus far our journey through the Atlantic 10 has shown us #14 St Joseph's, #13 La Salle, #12 Saint Louis, #11 Fordham, #10 U Mass, and #9 Temple, #8 Duquesne, #7 St Bonaventure, #6 Richmond, #5 Rhode Island, #4 George Washington, #3 Charlotte, and #2 Xavier.

Let's keep moving.

#1 Dayton

What the program is known for? Dayton made a splash last year, winning 27 games and advancing to the 2nd round of the tourney. They have made a total of 14 tourney appearances, including 4 in the past 10 years.

Why are they 1st? As you'll see in the links below, when we hit GW, we hit a new level of content in the A-10. They distance themselves from the pack beneath them by making it easy to get what you want and by getting very crisp in some key areas. Where could they improve? Access. Get us closer to the team and coaches now. And don't shy away from the history you have!

What inspired me about Dayton? (link here)

1. There is no doubt which sport is king here.

Wow. I've never come across a site where you see it broken apart as follows: Men's Basketball, Men's Sports, or Women's Sports. Note the emphasis this places on the site. And as you see in the home page image for Go Dayton Hoops (below or linked here), there's a LOT of inspiration coming in the site. So it's not just about elevating the sport. It's about elevating it and making it amazing.

2. Flickr for the hoops team!

As I hope you know, I think photography is really powerful. It's simple, but there's a lot of truth to that phrase of a picture being worth a thousand words. (Shouts out to Vince & Clark) - 2 great guys... Now what's that same picture worth if anyone can take it, share it, and make it their own?

You'll see the Flickr icon at the bottom of the Go Dayton Hoops site. (Or just click in here)... This is really great. I love this for so many reasons: You can subscribe. You can take and use the images. You can see them organized by player or by game. And, you can add comments much like you would on your own, personal photo gallery. Why more teams don't do this is just crazy. But for now, enjoy this one!

3. Branding of the Blog: Experience Flight Game Day and Off the Court.

This is a great example of taking the idea of a blog, tailoring it for great access and inside information and then blowing it out with an aspirational name. So you can literally experience a day in the life of the Flyers. And, though the image above doesn't do justice to this, the background is alive - you feel as if you're sitting in the crowd watching the team. I had a little nervous energy, to tell you the truth!

We all have that ability. Give fans (and recruits) a chance to see a game day routine. A practice day routine. The offseason. Let them in on your "secrets", or more importantly in that dynamic.

Where could Dayton improve this? Well for one, make it easier to subscribe. To raise your hand to get updates or posts on what interests you. And by doing that, they'll get a sense for how to evolve the content!

That's a wrap.

I hope you've enjoyed the trek through the A-10 as much as I have. I love going through and sharing inspiration, and there is a lot of it in this conference.

Now time to focus in on March Madness!!!

Andy