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Click the image above to check out the Who Wants Next campaign video!
Dear Faithful Readers,
As the World Cup winds down, so will the immense coverage and people will shift focus to the upcoming football season, the second half of the baseball season, or where LeBron James will play basketball next year. When an event, such as the World Cup, happens only once every four years it is tough to carry momentum throughout the gap.
The same can be said about College Basketball and March Madness. Sure there are fans who watch every game their favorite team plays, but March Madness draws in a whole new fan base every year. Very similar to what soccer (or fútbol) goes through with the World Cup.
The Atlantic 10 conference used a campaign to generate some serious traffic throughout the A-10 conference tournament and during the NCAA Tournament. This is an awesome campaign that should carry the momentum from March all the way through the upcoming NCAA Basketball season.
Hope everyone had a great Fourth of July weekend!
Ryan
P.S. - Feeling creative? Send in your best marketing and advertising campaign from 2014 and your team could be the next feature in "Selling It"!
PROGRAM TITLE
Atlantic 10 Conference: Who Wants Next
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OBJECTIVES
NCAA® conference ‘rebrands’ traditionally mean trotting out a new logo. When 160over90 partnered with the Atlantic 10 Conference last fall, the goal was to change the game with a comprehensive, national branding effort, designed to break down the mid-major mindset and firmly position the A-10 as the power conference it is.
The idea for the ‘Who Wants Next’ campaign came out of a conference-wide commitment to always advancing. With the A-10’s growing stature in the realm of basketball, it seemed only fitting for their rally cry. The campaign leans on the league’s strong performance record and national rankings, and tells the story of the grittiness and uncompromising work ethic embedded in the A-10’s athletic programs, as well as the academic excellence of each member school.
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
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The ‘Next’ campaign used many different media platforms—TV, outdoor, online, and social media—to show that the Atlantic 10 has earned its long string of postseason invitations and championship bids.
“The ‘Who Wants Next’ campaign narrative rallies pride among the Atlantic 10 Conference’s member institutions, in large part because it focuses on the idea of ‘a work right, not a birth right,’ said Darryl Cilli, chief creative officer of 160over90. “College basketball is a meritocracy, and up on the scoreboard, skill and hard work count for more than name, legacy, or the number of stars in a recruiting class.”
The campaign began with a 30-second PSA that emphasized the academic rigor of the Atlantic 10 member institutions. Then, as a lead-in to March Madness, the conference released a two-minute national TV spot entitled “We Make Believe,” which was also housed on a newly created microsite, WhoWantsNext.com. The video is at the heart of the campaign. It relays the competitive spirit of the A-10 and issues a challenge to peer power conferences, while the microsite shows other NCAA teams that this basketball conference is a force to be reckoned with, via a ‘Scoreboards Don’t Lie’ section.
Both the branding agency, 160over90, and the schools within the conference used social media platforms to publicize the video. The member schools took to Twitter, Facebook, and their websites to promote the video, and saw huge success in driving video views and shares.
A 60-second version of the video was also created and broadcast on television and shown in the stadiums of member schools during A-10 Conference games. Plus, the campaign extended to celebratory videos of the conference teams that advanced to March Madness.
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Click above to go to the A-10 Conference Athletics website.
PARTNERSHIP
The partnership between the Atlantic 10 and 160over90 was a natural fit. 160over90 has years of experience in higher education branding, and has also led branding efforts for many professional sports teams, including the Philadelphia Eagles, Miami Dolphins, Los Angeles Angels, and more. This cross-section of clients gave 160over90 a competitive edge that few others have, and made them the perfect choice for branding in a college athletic environment.
RESULTS
The ‘Next’ campaign created a lot of buzz and positive publicity for the Atlantic 10 Conference. It caught the attention of top sports media personalities and social influencers, including ESPN, Sports Illustrated, and the great Dr. J. Facebook chatter about the conference jumped 542 percent after the two-minute video was aired. And media impressions from this campaign totaled over 48 million, reaching all 50 states and 76 countries around the world.
University of Dayton’s vice president and director of athletics, Tim Wabler, says, "The timing and our post-season success fit hand in glove. The first release was in February. It was a creative presentation that caught the eyes of people who matter. Then a final, larger release came just before our conference championship tournament, setting the stage for the A-10’s record six-team selection. As the Flyers advanced to the Elite Eight, the rebrand helped to tell the story of what we are all about—a hard-working team that’s willing to take on anybody. It was a great launching pad for our run in the NCAA tournament."
LOOKING AHEAD
The latest iteration of the ‘Next’ campaign is a newly launched A-10 logo, rolling out now on member institution’s basketball courts. Designed to convey speed and athleticism, the strong, clean lines of the mark are a subconscious nod to the league’s work ethic and no-nonsense approach.
The brand narrative will continue to evolve in the weeks and months to come. "Even though the Atlantic 10 had a great year last year, you cannot stand still,” said Wabler. “This rebranding is about looking forward, not living in the past; building on what happened yesterday to make an even better tomorrow."
CONTACT
For more Information, contact:
LIndsay White, Director of Strategic Planning, 160over90
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