AUSTIN, TX: While the United States makes plans to hover around TV screens in bars, homes and even libraries on Monday night for the culmination of "March Madness", Capital One's chief brand officer has a prediction: "Triple overtime so we get higher ratings."
More basketball would mean more eyeballs for the financial-services group, which is the "Official Corporate Champion" of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
As such, it has invested significantly in March Madness, the climax to the annual college basketball season - and a major draw for sports fans across America.
"So [the] Super Bowl is awesome. But 'March Madness' is [four] weeks of awesome," Marc Mentry, Capital One's svp/brand marketing and chief brand officer asserted. (For more, including further details of how the brand is activating its NCAA sponsorship, read Warc's exclusive report: The March Madness of Capital One.)Mentry told delegates at the 4A's (American Association of Advertising Agencies) Transformation Conference 2015 in Austin, Texas, this affiliation provides a range of benefits for Capital One.
"It's brought us the ability to connect at a deeper level with fans," he said. "That deep connection is not just a surface-level relationship with our consumer."
Alongside exposure to massive television audiences, Capital One's activations around the NCAA tournament now cover an increasingly broad range of mediums, from mobile apps to social media.
And reaching basketball enthusiasts everywhere from the sofa in their living rooms to their desk in the office has been central to enhancing the power of its NCAA sponsorship.
"The deep collaboration comes from being able to surround fans and have weeks of talked-about games and content. That really helps us connect. And that's really very, very important," said Mentry.
"What we want is the fan to be front and centre. And if we're deeply connecting with our target consumer, that's the home run. And we've been able to deliver that on a multi-channel platform."
More basketball would mean more eyeballs for the financial-services group, which is the "Official Corporate Champion" of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
As such, it has invested significantly in March Madness, the climax to the annual college basketball season - and a major draw for sports fans across America.
"So [the] Super Bowl is awesome. But 'March Madness' is [four] weeks of awesome," Marc Mentry, Capital One's svp/brand marketing and chief brand officer asserted. (For more, including further details of how the brand is activating its NCAA sponsorship, read Warc's exclusive report: The March Madness of Capital One.)
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"It's brought us the ability to connect at a deeper level with fans," he said. "That deep connection is not just a surface-level relationship with our consumer."
Alongside exposure to massive television audiences, Capital One's activations around the NCAA tournament now cover an increasingly broad range of mediums, from mobile apps to social media.
And reaching basketball enthusiasts everywhere from the sofa in their living rooms to their desk in the office has been central to enhancing the power of its NCAA sponsorship.
"The deep collaboration comes from being able to surround fans and have weeks of talked-about games and content. That really helps us connect. And that's really very, very important," said Mentry.
"What we want is the fan to be front and centre. And if we're deeply connecting with our target consumer, that's the home run. And we've been able to deliver that on a multi-channel platform."
Data sourced from Warc
