Can NCAA Basketball Programs Learn from a Super Bowl Ad?

The Super Bowl.

This year, this matchup between New Orleans and Indianapolis drew a record 106.5 Million viewers (link here), somehow edging the Mash finale from 1983 for the most viewers of a program ever. (Side note, how in the world did Mash win that title?)

And the cost of reaching this audience? In 2010, the cost actually dropped for a 30 second spot, down to as "low" as $2.5 million. (link here). I know most of us would simply say that with costs this high, there's no way there is anything we can all learn from them. Well, enter Google and their Parisian Love story. If you haven't seen this, click on the video below. (Don't worry, I'll wait.)



Here's what I loved about this commercial.

1. It is extremely simple. In fact I think many of us could film a similar version of this with a flip camera. They didn't try to outspend people, and didn't play by everyone else's rules.
   
2. It tells us a story. In this case, the story is that of a person who travels to Paris, meets the person of their dreams, and eventually starts a family together.
3. It connects us to a dream. You see Google in action, and how it works to help a person chase their dream.

Great. But what's that mean for the average college or company that doesn't have $2.5 Million to invest in a Super Bowl commercial, even if they wanted to?

1. Keep what you're doing simple. Don't think you need to hire a huge agency or a production team to make something powerful. Power can come in the simplest forms of images. (check out this picture, posted by Portland Coach Eric Reveno on senior Nick Raivio's rehab). It's powerful because it is the sharing of an image about the team that the average person can't get. This is really simple, but it is really powerful. And what coach doesn't have the ability to take a picture of their team?
2. Tell us a story. Use your words well, as they can be extremely moving. I love the way Penn State tells us who they are by combining powerful copy and visuals. (image below and link here) As a recruit, you get a clear image of what the TEAM vibe is at PSU. If you had to boil down what your program stands for in one sentence, what would you say?
3. Connect us to a dream. There's lots of ways of doing this. Many schools show us how they can get you to the Pros, by giving us examples of players who've been there. But not everyone has that ability. I was taken by Villanova's basketball section (image below, link here) tells us about Life After Basketball -- and how their program can help prepare you to be a success in life. Powerful and simple in images and words.
   

So, just like Google did on the Super Bowl, we don't all have to think about spending a lot of money and time to do something powerful. A connection can be achieved by using our words and our images together in a smart and exclusive way.