Credit Where Credit Is Due

When thinking of an NCAA athletic event or championship, one may immediately turn their minds to a large well-known, logical brand. In honor of the most recent, and quite frankly the most amazing, NCAA Championship, I will be taking a look at a premier sponsor that essentially has nothing to do with sports. Capital One is a very well known financial corporation that has partnered with the NCAA, and has infiltrated the intercollegiate athletic realm in many ways. Capital One is a very successful brand that has grown tremendously by putting their name out in the public. One may not pay much attention but Capital One has placed their name and likeness in many athletic and sporting events. Capital One is currently one of the NCAA’s “Official Corporate Champions” and has spread itself across multiple sports in a variety of ways.

The more I researched Capital One’s relationship with the NCAA, the more I realized how involved this company is in a multitude of NCAA events. Funny thing about it is, I honestly have no clue what Capital One does. I know they have something to do with credit cards. Again, for the third blog in a row, only kidding, Capital One is one of the largest financial corporations in the United States, specializing in credit cards, banking, loans, and savings products. Although Capital One is very well known across the country, the sporting and athletic world may not know this name by heart. As mentioned earlier, Capital One has involved itself in multiple NCAA sports and has begun to make a name for itself in the realm of college athletics. A few of the sponsorships between the NCAA and Capital One include the Capital One Fan Zone at the Final Four, Capital One Orange Bowl, Capital One Mascot Challenge, and the Capital One Cup. All of these sponsorship activities span many of the athletic competitions in the NCAA and the exposure that is gained is unparalleled. This exposure that is gained by Capital One, and the sponsorship money that the NCAA receives in return, is why the deal is mutually beneficial to both parties that are involved. Capital One, an NCAA partner since 2001, benefitted from this deal after they became the most recognized brand in a study that was done in 2015 (Broughton, 2015). Capital One has produced multiple commercials that have aired during sporting events as well as during primetime television. A series of commercials were released for March Madness during March featuring Charles Barkley, Samuel L. Jackson, and Spike Lee chronicling their trip to the Final Four. Capital One activated their sponsorship in a different and unique way by assigning their name to the Capital One Final Four Fan Zone. The Capital One Fan Zone is an interactive fan festival that allows fans to visit several interactive sports related exhibits. Another activation of the Capital One sponsorship is the creation of the Capital One Cup, which is a comprehensive yearlong competition that tracks the success of all men and women’s NCAA institutions and assigns them points based on performance. At the end of the year the top men and women’s university are awarded $400,000 in athletic scholarship money (“Capital One Cup”). This is a wonderful opportunity for sponsorship activation that Capital One has utilized. This partnership is definitely mutually beneficial due to the positive aspects on each side of the sponsorship. Capital One benefits the most due to the sheer exposure that the financial giant receives. NCAA athletics are essentially all year long and Capital One is so closely associated that it benefits tremendously. On the other side, the NCAA has scored due to the massive amount of money that Capital One shovels into this sponsorship.

The relationship between Capital One and the NCAA is one that has created many different aspects of sponsorship. I would like to focus on the interactive characteristic that the Capital One Final Four Fan Zone brings to the table. The Fan Zone includes a chance to meet former athletes, gain access to a 360-degree photo booth, bat in a home run derby, play basketball, hockey, golf, and lacrosse (“Activation Summaries”). The multitude of activities that the Fan Zone provides allows for a preference of activity, but also a chance to experience sports that the participants may not necessarily be familiar with. This is where the interactive sponsorship comes into full effect. Capital One, along with the NCAA is giving the opportunity for fans to experience these activities in a unique way that allows them to interact in a new and fresh way. Capital One also allows fans that show their Capital One credit card to receive “two complimentary event tickets, VIP entry, special merchandise offer; plus enjoy an exclusive cardholder hour”(“Activation Summaries”). This promotion allows for sponsorship activation that is exclusive to Capital One credit card holders. Capital One and the NCAA fulfill the interactive aspect of sponsorship through this wonderful activity. I am honestly jealous that I did not go attend this event, as it was recently in Houston. Capital One’s sponsorship has been incredibly effective due to the way that Capital One has put itself out there and has essentially taken on as many sponsorship opportunities as possible, leading to an increase in brand recognition, making them one of the most recognizable NCAA partners. You have to give Capital One a ton of credit for this partnership. (See what I did there?)

Bibliography

Activation Summaries. (2016). Retrieved from http://www.ncaa.com/final-four/activation.

Broughton, D. (2015, April 27). Coke gets ‘Zero’ recognition in college sports. Retrieved from http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2015/04/27/Research-and-Ratings/NCAA-Sponsor-Loyalty.aspx.

Capital One Cup. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.capitalonecup.com/

 

 

To The MAX

Disguises are usually meant for hiding or deceiving others in order to not reveal one’s identity. If someone were to see a professional athlete on the street, odds are that they would be almost immediately recognized and swarmed. Over the past 5 or so years, Pepsi has taken the concept of disguise and has perfectly utilized it as a marketing campaign for one of their newer lines of drink, Pepsi Max. Pepsi Max is a new spin on the classic Pepsi soda that allows consumers to enjoy a great tasting Pepsi soda with zero calories. Their tagline reads “a zero-calorie soda in disguise”(PepsiCo 2013).

In an effort to bring this marketing slogan to life, Pepsi teamed up with rising NBA superstar Kyrie Irving in a series of ad campaigns in which Irving was put in disguise and sent to outdoor basketball courts to participate in pickup games. After going through hours of makeup, Irving was transformed into the character “Uncle Drew”, an elderly man who decides to try his hand at some pickup basketball. The original Uncle Drew advertisement starts out with him struggling to keep up with the “youngbloods” that Uncle Drew is playing against. As the game goes on and Irving, or Uncle Drew, or Irving. Alright, at this point it starts to get confusing. Anyway, Uncle Drew is getting some boos and some sympathy from the crowd, when all of the sudden he is crossing “youngbloods” over, draining threes, and throwing alley-oops to himself off of the backboard. At this point in the video, people begin watching and Pepsi Max bottles begin to appear in everyone’s hands. Yes, this is somewhat staged but the crowd begins to realize that there is something up and they are astounded by the sheer talent that this old man has on the basketball court. After Uncle Drew completely annihilates these guys on the court, the video cuts to Kyrie Irving, hours before, getting makeup put on to be transformed into Uncle Drew. Pepsi did a wonderful job with this advertisement, these unsuspecting players were out playing some pickup basketball and by the end of the night they ended up playing with one of the brightest young players in the NBA. Pepsi continued these advertisements by taking Uncle Drew to different outdoor courts across the country, starting in Bloomfield, NJ, continuing to Crenshaw, CA, Chicago, IL, and most recently Miami, FL. Pepsi has also added other NBA and WNBA players into these ads including Kevin Love, Nate Robinson, Maya Moore and Ray Allen. The addition of these athletes not only adds to the shock value of the ads, but it adds to the storyline that is developed throughout the series of advertisements.

The target markets for these crazy advertisements are the population of people from 18-34 (‘How Pepsi Max”). When you add in one of the best NBA players in the league in Kyrie Irving, you also bring in a large portion of males in this age range. Although many of the people in the video are men, there also are numerous women in the videos seen watching the games with Pepsi Max in hand. Another target market that Pepsi is trying to target people who are trying to find a healthier option of soda that carries no calories. By creating this product, Pepsi has captured a new portion of the market that they previously probably did not hold. Diet Pepsi is popular but many people do not want to be seen drinking a diet drink. This is where Pepsi Max provides a fresh, new option that has allowed people to enjoy the great taste of a Pepsi without the consequences of the calories that usually come with it.

Pepsi honestly hit a homerun, or should I say a deep three, with these Uncle Drew ads. The strengths that these series of advertisements display are the exact physical embodiment of “a zero-calorie soda in disguise”, and the use of a bold strategy to represent a bold taste. The magnitude of this ad was realized after the first installment reached 10 million views on the Internet after merely 3 weeks of being out in the public (Cox, 2013). Consumers love the element of surprise and Pepsi used this strategy to the MAX, see what I did there. Joking aside, Kyrie Irving’s sheer talent on the basketball court is one of the biggest strengths Pepsi utilized from this. Irving is one of the more flashy and crafty young players in the NBA and these talents simply wowed the crowds at all of these outdoor courts. This plays into the marketing campaign because it parallels the idea that Pepsi wants to communicate, a bold taste in a seemingly normal soda. Another strength that was utilized by Pepsi was the use of social media. The hashtag #UncleDrew became incredibly popular as consumers shared these ads on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and more. The addition of different characters and professional basketball players caught the eyes on many other fans that follow these players or who wanted to know whom the next character on Uncle Drew would be. Pepsi also attempted to pull women’s basketball fans in by adding one of the best women’s players in the world, Maya Moore. Some weaknesses that this series has is that although it does capture the basketball audience, it doe limit itself to them at the same time. Target marketing is a great thing but it also limits your spectrum of people that are being affected by these advertisements. Also, people that do not even follow sports may not be attracted to these advertisements at all.

 

The Pepsi Max Uncle Drew advertising campaign was intended to stimulate consumers interests in a bold tasting new drink that is disguised in a zero-calorie façade. The physical embodiment of this idea comes in the form of Uncle Drew who does a wonderful job of bringing a bold style of play while in his disguise. Pepsi definitely hit the nail on the head with these advertisements because of the sheer amounts of consumer eyes that came across this hilarious and fun string of videos. With the stunning amount of views that these videos have received, it is definitely easy to say that this advertising campaign has been successful. In 2015 alone, it is reported that Pepsi Max produced over $1 billion of the $10 million dollars in annual retail sales that Pepsi brings in (Forbes 2016). Overall the relationship that Pepsi has created with Kyrie Irving, aka Uncle Drew, is one that has helped expand their Pepsi Max line to the max.

Bibliography

Cox, J. (2013). Improving the Global Reach of Pepsi Max’s Uncle Drew Ad Campaign – SportTechie. Retrieved April 01, 2016, from http://www.sporttechie.com/2013/11/27/improving-the-global-reach-of-pepsi-maxs-uncle-drew-ad-campaign/

How Pepsi Max’s ‘Unbelievable’ YouTube Channel Helped Increase Market Share. (n.d.). Retrieved April 01, 2016, from https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/intl/en-gb/case-studies/how-pepsi-maxs-unbelievable-youtube-channel-helped-increase-market-share.html

Retrieved April 01, 2016, from http://www.forbes.com/companies/pepsi/