The odds of filling out a perfect NCAA Tournament bracket are 1 in 9,223,372,036,854,777,808 or one in 9.2 quintillion. So, it’s a long shot — a really loooong shot — that anyone will pick the right teams, even with the best prediction model. And even with these odds, die-hard and casual fans alike can’t be scared away from investing their time and money in the tournament.
Whether your bracket busts or not, we hope we can bring some success this March Madness. To stack the advertising odds in your favor, here’s a handy roundup of tactics and recommendations to reach and engage March Madness fans this season.
Take a Multi-Screen and Multi-Channel Approach
Roughly 70% of viewers are on a second screen while watching TV. They are researching stats and teams, records broken, their favorite players, or expressing their opinion about a play on social media. Solutions include:
- Cross-Device Display, Cross-Device Video, High-Impact, In-App (ex. ESPN app), In-Game
- CTV/OTT: Leverage CTV and automated content recognition (ACR) data in your banner and video ad buy to reach fans who are watching March Madness coverage. Including Amazon Firestick and FuboTV – data perk!
- DOOH
- Programmatic Audio/Podcasting
- Paid Search
- Paid Social across Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, Snapchat, Twitter, YouTube
Leverage “March Madness” PMP Inventory and Target Audience Segments
Zero in on March Madness and sports fans using PMP inventory and targeted audience segments powered by Digilant data partners. PMP Inventory and audience segments include:
PMP Inventory Packages
- Yahoo Sports Pick Em Display Inventory: Yahoo/Verizon
- ESPN, CBS Sports, Fox Sports, NBC Sports, Barstool Sports, Bleacher Report: Verizon Premium Partnerships
Targeted Audience Packages
With access to data partners such as Pushspring, Dstillery, Killi, Affinity Answer, and more, reach millions of fans with audience segments such as:
- March Madness Enthusiasts: Device Count: ~11MM
- NCAA March Madness TV Viewers: Device Count: ~44MM
- March Madness Fans: Device Count: ~8MM
- March Madness Interest: Device Count: ~36MM
- Sports Fans: Device Count: ~24MM
- Fantasy Sports Players: Device Count: ~15MM
- March Madness Bracket Challenge Audience: This segment includes people who have apps like ESPN Tournament Challenge, NCAA March Madness, and CBS Sports app. Device Count: ~1MM
Utilize Contextual Data and Keywords In Your Targeting
Use keywords such as “March Madness,” “NCAA Basketball Tournament,” or “college basketball” to inform campaign targeting that will place your ads directly in front of these invested sports fans. Solutions include:
- Search Engine+: Digilant’s exclusive technology that places ads alongside keyword-relevant content.
- Page Index: Digilant’s exclusive web crawling technology used to build relevant inclusion/exclusion lists.
- Social Predict Segments: Peer39 – Identify the top trending keywords across social media, blogs, and other publications related to March Madness and serve placements across the web where content contains these trending keywords.
Interested in jumping on March Madness PMP inventory and Audience Segments or optimizing your channel and tactic mix? Let’s talk.