Connor trimmed the ends of the wood to make the wood chips for smoking. To make the product, Hormel teamed up with Connor Sports, which supplies the court for the tournaments. Hormel is taking its tie-in to the tastebuds with a “Hardcourt Smoked Black Label Bacon,” which has been smoked with the actual northern maple wood used to make the courts on which the Men’s and Women’s Final Four and National Championships take place. To hype the deal, Wendy’s advertising will once again feature NBA Hall of Famer Reggie Miller cheering on people who are eating at a Wendy’s. In the new campaign, the two coaches translate for the Afflac Duck’s nemesis “The Gap Goat.” Depicting the gap some individuals might have after medical procedures, the goat enters the spots bellowing “gaaaap” and carrying medical bills.Īs the “Official Hamburger” of the tournament, Wendy’s is touting a one-dollar single hamburger deal when ordered through its app during the tournament’s duration. Points will be awarded for teams winning their matchups, and, from the number of brackets scoring Zero points, one winner will be awarded $100,000.īuilding upon its college football campaign starring Deion Sanders and Nick Saban, Aflac is bringing two legendary college basketball coaches, Dawn Staley (University of South Carolina) and Mike Krzyzewski (Duke), together for the brand’s March Madness campaign. Highlighting the “Zero” in its name, Pepsi Zero Sugar is teaming with DraftKings on a reverse bracket challenge that will reward one person who manages to get none of the winning teams in the bracket correct. The centerpiece of the campaign is two films featuring Jonathan Majors, who is having a moment as a star in both Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” and “Creed III.” Evoking imagery from the American Revolution to World Wars I and II and more recent missions, the films are designed to link the Army’s past and present. The new campaign, which features two videos and a “full brand ecosystem,” is designed to spotlight the opportunities provides for individuals to explore their passions and build communities.

Army is using the basketball tournament to launch a new campaign that features a redesigned star logo and the resurrection of its “Be All You Can Be Tagline” for a new generation. Another spot features former basketball players Candace Parker and Kenny Smith reminiscing about the “good old days” (but regretting their hair choices). When the passenger indicates the mascot is hungry, he opens the sunroof to give it nourishment. In one spot, for instance, USC women’s basketball head coach Lindsay Gottlieb is driving a passenger in the front seat and a tree mascot in the back. Meanwhile, Nissan has introduced its own road-themed advertising campaign, featuring its all-new electric Ariya car in a series of commercials that depict people driving to the tournament alongside various college mascots.

This year, the trio will be joined by country music icon Willie Nelson (singing a basketball-themed version of “On the Road Again”).

Jackson, Charles Barkley and Spike Lee, bantering and making fun of each other as they “road trip” to the tournament. Some old favorites will be back, such as Capital One’s road-tripping stars Samuel L. The NCAA’s annual March Madness basketball tournament is about to get underway, and there will be no shortage of “Official Partners” tying their brands to the tournament and using the high-profile event for marketing activations.

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