NCAA Tournament Basketball Marketing: What we can learn from #2 Seed Villanova

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.

It's time to check out the South Region.

Thus far, we've looked at top seeded Duke.

Let's go.

South Region #2 Seed Villanova (Link Here and Here)

What's Inspiring about Villanova Athletics?

We previously broke down Villanova, here. Today I want to elevate three things we can take as inspiration from the Wildcats.

1. Life after Basketball

If you've been following this blog for awhile, you know I absolutely love this. But I feel the need to re-elevate this feature as it is just plain fantastic on many fronts. The Nova Nation basketball site allows you to navigate the tradition of the program. And, as you see in the image below, the top thing listed under tradition is not the tournament appearances (or last year's Final Four bid)... It is life after basketball.



Wow. Now, when you drill in, you are taken to a page where we hear from Coach Jay Wright. He puts it directly:

"This is Villanova Basketball -- excelling as a player, student, and a man."

That's powerful.

And click on in and you get the image below - a 4 page PDF that shows you all the Nova hoops alumni, their degree, and where they are working, sorted by industry. I love this because it shows the program cares about more than what you do on the hardwood. And I love it because it helps show you that your education and degree at Villanova can literally take you anywhere. It's so simple, but wow this is fantastic.

So how could this be better? If this is our roster of alums, let us click in and see what their basketball experience was like, and how they got to where they are. Let us know how Villanova athletics, can help leverage this alumni base to get you a job. And show us how you stay in touch with players even after their eligibility is up. Fantastic start here!

2. Strength & Conditioning Clinics

I'm a believer in the notion that you can define a role for yourself in the world by creating a vision and then aligning as much as you can against that very vision. And Villanova does this via their Strength & Conditioning programs.

Many programs devote space on their sites towards the development of their student athletes. But Villanova takes this to another level -- actually hosting clinics for other teams' coaches to come and learn from them (HS and College coaches). As a player, that signals one big thing: the Nova staff absolutely knows what they are doing and will help you reach your potential.

Here's the agenda:

How could this be better? Like conferences in the business world, publish your findings online. Let us see the curriculum. Doing this won't take away from your clinic but rather encourage more people to find a way to attend! And you'll win over future student athletes along the way...

3. Video Blog with the squad

The ease of taking a FlipCam and arming a staff member or player with it gives programs a chance to create unprecedented access to the team. As you can see in the image below, Nova gives fans a chance to see the latest video blog entries via NovaNation.com. Nice.

So how could we make this better?

• Consistency. The image above was from a video posted in September 2009 -- the last time they uploaded one. This has potential that will only be reached if fans (and recruits) understand what's coming and when.
• Subscriptions. Let people sign up to get these -- or release them via Twitter and Facebook and drive fans to sign up there. In any case this combination of predictability/consistency and notification is what will build the following.

Come back tomorrow as we keep plugging through the South Region!