NCAA Tournament Basketball Marketing: What we can learn from #16 Seed East Tennessee State

We continue our evaluation of this year's NCAA Tournament field, 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, #4Wisconsin, #5 Temple, #6 Marquette, #7 Clemson, #8 Texas, #9 WaKentucky, #2 West Virginia, #3 New Mexico, #4Wisconsin, #5 Temple, #6 Marquette, #7 Clemson, #8 Texas, #9 Wake Forest, #10 Missouri, #11Washington, #12 Cornell, #13 Wofford, #14 Montana, and #15 Morgan State.

Let's finish out the East Regional field...

East #16 Seed East Tennessee State (Link Here)

What Inspires me about East Tennessee State Athletics?

1. Partnering with the NBA to host an exhibition game.
If you're like me (sorry!), you quickly noticed the NBA logo and tout on the ETSU home page. I had to check this out. Clicking in, I got the image below, which showed how ETSU is partnering with the NBA and the International Storytelling Institute to bring a New Orleans Hornets exhibition game to campus next season.

I literally loved this, and I'll tell you why... First, it showed the campus had a vision and a cause. This will raise money for the community, and it will offer a relevant (New Orleans vs Atlanta) NBA game to the campus. Something about seeing this partnership made me think of ETSU more as a big school with a vision and less of a small school following others. Secondly, this campaign puts the NBA literally on campus. Not much out there that better brings the next level to the Buccaneers than this kind of event.

How can this get better? Turn it into an advantage for the program. Let them watch the NBA practice. And vice versa. Take lots of pictures, and tell this story online. It's simple, but wow could this be powerful!



2. Easy Email Signups.

Many programs offer ways to connect via email. But not everyone makes it as easy for you as the Buccaneers do. Check the screen grab of the basketball home page (link here) and pay extra attention to the lower right hand corner of the page...

I'll zoom in, below, so you can better see this. From the home page you can literally enter your info and click signup. No need to go to some other page. That's simple.

How can this get better? Well, start by making this customized based on where you are. If I'm on the basketball page, let me sign up for basketball emails. I'm guessing this is an athletics email. The more custom, the better! From there, offer me the ability to click in and see examples of past emails -- to better get a feel for what these are like. Kind of a risk free trial!

3. Branding for Success.
If you have success, make it clear and simple. And ETSU does this, in the image below -- a hot image that celebrates back to back A Sun titles. It's timely, and it is very relevant in that basketball home page!

How could it get better? Make this available to download. Let me celebrate the title via wallpaper on my mobile or laptop... Simple, but makes this viral!

That's it.

Come back tomorrow and we'll roll through a summary of the East Region!

Andy