March Madness Social Media

I grew up in Syracuse, NY so I grew up on college basketball. We had season tickets and would go to every game we could, even before the University built the Carrier Dome to house the record breaking attendance. So of course, our lives centered around The Big East and March Madness. You have to remember, too, that March is still the middle of winter in those parts, so it gave us something to do.

Now being so far removed, it's really now just a memory but I still have fun with the March Madness brackets. And I have to admit that it's fun tracking it all on social media. I love seeing the tweets and Facebook posts from my friends, my friends who probably actually care about the outcome of the games much more than I do. For me it's the social following that is interesting.

And the marketing.

The big brands have entered the madness as well, and not just with advertising. They're online and in all the social media places, creating content where die hard fans (of the game and of the brand) can engage with each other and increase the sport of it all.

Coca-Cola created a social hub that aggregates all the activity. Dove hired celebrity players to post their experiences. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups is hosting an online sweepstakes to sink a half-court basket for a million dollars. That's just scratching the surface.

We should probably do a bracket for which brand will come out the winner.

What's your experience? Jim.