I’m not sure whether it’s a of case of nature over nurture, but basketball is woven into the fabric of my very being.
I suppose, however, upon closer examination of the facts, it’s fairly evident that nurture is the culprit…

• I first started playing organized basketball at the age of seven (not that I was any good…save for my stifling defense!).
• I played “fantasy basketball” throughout my youth, well before such a thing existed, using Skybox trading cards (of which I was an AVID collector).
• Born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan (home of the University of Michigan Wolverines), I was a high school freshman in 1989 when the Michigan Wolverines basketball team – a Cinderella team abandoned by coach Bill Frieder prior to the tournament’s outset – won the NCAA championship.
• When I was a senior in high school, the University of Michigan basketball team featured the Fab Five, an all-freshmen starting lineup considered the best recruiting class in Division I College Basketball history (the team appeared in back to back NCAA Tournament Championship games, but lost to Duke and University of North Carolina respectively).
• A Southeast Michigan native, born and raised 40 minutes from downtown Detroit, I grew up in the “Bad Boy’s” era of the Detroit Pistons, as Isiah Thomas, Bill Laimbeer and a very young Dennis Rodman scratched and clawed their way over the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers, while fending off an up-and-coming Michael Jordan, to win back-to-back NBA titles.

Nurture Overwhelms Nature in My Long-life Basketball Obsession

So, I guess it’s fair to say my basketball fixation is mostly nurture.

All In On March Madness

But what all of this REALLY means is when this time of year rolls around – NCAA Basketball Tournament time (AKA March Madness) – I’m ALL IN!
Brackets, predictions, commentary, analysis and the games… Oh yes, the buzzer beating, double-overtime, nail biting, photo-finish games. (A player’s dad got so excited over his son’s buzzer beating shot, he fell off his chair and ruptured his Achilles tendon – this time of year, I’m feeling THAT kind of excitement!)
And apparently, the injured dad and I aren’t the only ones.

March Madness = Big $$$$

Though a non-profit organization, the NCAA Tournament is the 2nd highest revenue generating sports showcase, behind only the NFL playoffs, nabbing nearly $11 billion in TV rights contracts.
Their secret?
You guessed.
Great marketing.

A Brand Apart

Every sports league is a brand. NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB and the NCAA, among others, all exist and succeed largely due to great marketing.
But there’s nothing quite like the NCAA’s March Madness. 68 teams compete over three weeks in single game eliminations. High seeded teams are pitted against low seeded teams, and every year, massive upsets ensue.
The competition is magnetic. The storylines are compelling. And the results are always unexpected. It’s a soap opera for men (that more than a few women have bought into).
And the NCAA has parlayed their corner of the mainstream sports realm into a HIGH DOLLAR RETURN.
As with the Oscars, which we’ve talked about before, a business that can claim even .001% of the NCAA Tournament’s brand recognition is a million dollar enterprise.
-Building Your Brand
So, how solid is your brand recognition?

What’s in a Name?

As if the March Madness moniker isn’t catchy enough, teams who make it past the opening rounds advanced to the “Sweet Sixteen.” That’s followed by the “Elite 8.” Next a run to the “Final Four.” And it all culminates in the Championship.
Sweet – Elite – Final – Champion… You can’t get any more compelling than that. And with single elimination games, each round is an edge-of-your-seat, nail-biter that deserves its exciting title.
-What Does Your Name Spell?
So when it comes to your business, whether you’re starting a new company, or launching new products or signature services, a name that resonates and captures attention really “says” a lot about your venture. More often than not, the right moniker spells S-U-C-C-E-S-S.

Contest Fuels Competition

Nothing engages like competition. And that’s what the NCAA Tournament is all about, and not just on the court. Every year, millions participate in NCAA March Madness pools.
I’ve been in countless pools over the years, deliberating at length over the perfect strategy to win my brackets. Even the president does it (and last year, he picked my Alma Mater, Michigan State, to go ALL THE WAY! Thanks, Prez!)
-Compete & Engage
Your business can also use contests and competition to generate awareness, educate prospects and clients and generally increase engagement – all in the pursuit of winning prizes (which EVERYBODY loves!).
Multi-Channel Madness
If ever there was a compelling argument for the power of social media marketing, the NCAA Tournament wins it.
NCAA Facebook Social Media Stats:
Facebook page: 800K+ Likes
Twitter page: 350K+ followers (and Twitter blows up with millions of #MarchMadness Tweets during games)
YouTube: 860K+ videos posted in the NCAA March Madness category and 460K+ videos posted in the NCAA March Madness 2015 category alone
Here again, even .001% of this engagement would mean a lot to any business.
-Is Your Business Social?
So what does your social media presence look like?

Full Court Press (Releases)

Fire up your computer right now and Google: NCAA March Madness.
The results? Just the sheer number of hits alone is amazing, but the breadth of publication and outlets involved is astounding.
Everyone – I mean EVERYONE – is getting in on the act.
From the usual suspects … ESPN, major networks and news outlets … to the Huffington Post and the Onion (American’s #1 fake paper) … to a million small and midsized sports and non-sports websites and blogs you may or may not have ever heard— they’re all covering March Madness from one angle or another.
How did this happen? Beyond the fact that March Madness is a BIG TIME media event, the NCAA absolutely papers every media outlet known to man, plying them with press releases promoting any and every aspect of the event, including the schools, fans, players, coaches, parents, uniforms, mascots and other figures and personalities involved in the melee.
-Put the Power of the Press to Work for Your Biz
Now you might not have the reach of the NCAA (actually, almost nobody does), but that doesn’t mean you can’t harness the power of the press to promote your business. In fact, if you haven’t already, it’s time to get to it.

What About You?

So now the question is, what inspiration does the NCAA’s approach generate for marketing your own business?
Join the conversation at my Google+ page (we’re waiting for you).