Our March Madness bracket was busted on week one of the NCAA tournament, but that didn’t stop us from enjoying all of the activations and events that capitalized on the energy around the men’s and women’s college basketball championships. From April 3-6, the Men’s Final Four and its accompanying Fan Fest presented by Capital One took place in Indianapolis, while Phoenix hosted the Women’s Final Four and Tourney Town festival, also presented by Capital One, April 2-5.
Final Four weekend is the most anticipated part of The Big Dance, and brands stepped up their game by engaging fans at various stages of the tournament, as the elimination games moved across the country. From D.C. to Las Vegas, fans gathered for brand-led interactive watch parties, sports shows, free throws and swag drops.
In the end, Michigan took home the men’s basketball championship trophy, and UCLA’s women’s basketball team won its first-ever national title. Whether your team won or lost, take a look at highlights of the sports sponsorship action that took over the Indiana and Phoenix convention centers, and tournament hubs.
AT&T
AT&T returned to the Final Four with its high-tech basketball court, creating an immersive hoops experience for fans of all ages. At the Men’s Final Four Fan Fest, the activation footprint included two courts, and sports commentator and former NBA player Kenny Smith virtually helped guide players to victory. An AI photo op offered fans an action shot, and AT&T hosted meet-and-greet opportunities with basketball stars and coaches, including John Calipari, Penny Hardaway and Isaiah Thomas.
As part of the March Madness Music Festival at American Legion Mall in Indianapolis, April 3-5, AT&T activated with a recharge bar, lounge seating, lawn games and a hat customization station. The AT&T Block Party on April 3 presented a concert headlined by Twenty One Pilots and featured keshi and Joey Valence & Brae.
Tourney Town in Phoenix also included AT&T’s LED basketball court, but Kiki Rice served as the activation’s larger-than-life coach to deliver real-time direction and encourage fans as they shot as many baskets as they could before time ran out. Former and current WNBA players Swin Cash, Candace Parker and Jackie Young made appearances in the booth.
Outside the convention center’s show floor, AT&T hosted Connecting Phoenix on April 2 to introduce local college students to industry leaders for mentorship opportunities, and headliner Kehlani took the stage for the free Super Saturday Concert presented by AT&T on April 4 at Hance Park.
Photos: Courtesy of AT&T
BetMGM
Las Vegas got in on the March Madness excitement with an underground basketball event at Bellagio, April 4-5. For “The Court of Legends,” BetMGM transformed a secret space inside the resort into a dynamic LED basketball environment, featuring trick‑shot demonstrations, dunk showcases, one‑on‑one exhibitions and live performances.
The stars of the show were former NCAA athletes and influencers Haley and Hanna Cavinder, known as the Cavinder Twins, who went head‑to‑head in a livestreamed sibling showdown, available on YouTube, X and the BetMGM app. In-person attendees entered the event through a nondescript door at the former The Bank Nightclub to watch basketball, live djs and halftime performances on the black and gold court. (Agencies: Highdive, lead agency; Hovercraft, experiential design and fabrication; Sibling Rivalry, creative, LED animations, livestream)
Photo credit: BetMGM
GEICO
GEICO put a branded twist on nostalgic driveway games at the GEICO Home Court that popped up at the men’s and women’s Final Four fan fests. Players could challenge a partner to a game of “G.E.C.K.O.,” GEICO’s take on “H.O.R.S.E.,” and then team up for a feel-good version of “21,” where everything in the driveway was a bucket. Lastly, attendees could attempt a trick shot into the house’s chimney. Participants came away with branded prizes. (Agency: Momentum Worldwide)
Additionally, GEICO served as the presenting sponsor of the NCAA Men’s Final Four Dribble and Women’s Final Four Bounce family-friendly events that brought together thousands of young fans to dribble basketballs through city streets, and local employees in the markets volunteered to help bring them to life. Plus, WNBA legends Tamika Catchings and Sue Bird made special appearances in Indianapolis and Phoenix, respectively.
Through a partnership with Good Sports and Boys & Girls Clubs of America, GEICO donated basketballs, footballs and essential equipment to kids in Houston, San Diego, Phoenix and Indianapolis, with additional investments in Phoenix and Indianapolis to fund and install new scoreboards for Club courts.
Photos: Courtesy of GEICO
The Home Depot
At the Men’s Final Four Fan Fest and Tourney Town, The Home Depot returned with Shaq Yard, a backyard-themed experience where attendees could take on basketball challenges, build their own mini hoop in a hands-on workshop, customize gear, win prizes and snap photos with mascot Phil the Bucket.
As the Official Home Improvement Partner for March Madness, The Home Depot furnished player lounges for the Final Four men’s and women’s teams with couches, rugs, tables and massage chairs. After the championship games, all of the furniture was donated to local community organizations in Indianapolis and Phoenix.
Through its support of the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s Naismith Award Final Four Legacy Project, The Home Depot is also supporting full gymnasium renovations at two YMCAs: the Avondale Meadows YMCA in Indianapolis and the Legacy Foundation Chris-Town YMCA in Phoenix. Dedication events were held during Naismith Awards Week, April 1 in Phoenix and April 4 in Indianapolis, bringing together community members, local leaders and the next generation of basketball players.
Photo credit: The Home Depot
Stella Artois
For the Men’s Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games that took place in Chicago and Washington, D.C., Stella Artois centered its campaign on a classic sports icon: the foam finger. However, it reworked the No. 1 design to include two fingers, a nod to the brand’s signature Perfect Serve ritual, where a lager is poured and finished with a “two-finger head of foam.”
Stella Artois transformed select bars across the two cities into branded watch parties and gave out special-edition, two-fingered foam hands and foam Stella Artois chalices to attendees. As part of the Perfect Serve Challenge in the bars, fans had to match their foam finger with someone else who had a foam chalice (and vice versa). Once a pair connected, they snapped a photo together and uploaded it to the brand’s site via a QR code on the foam items for a chance to win a year’s worth of Stella Artois.
Photo: Courtesy of Stella Artois
TBS
To generate buzz around the premiere of “Foul Play with Anthony Davis,” TBS activated at the Men’s Final Four Fan Fest with Foul Shot, a 30-by-30 booth that challenged fans to a free throw game. Two at a time, fans stepped up to the foul line and took their shot.
While one player experienced a standard free throw, the other was selected at random for a prank moment in true “Foul Play” style, from unexpected distractions to performance-based interruptions. A hero screen wall displayed content and videos of Davis throughout the day, and each participant left with a branded blue towel. (Agency: CNC Agency)
Photo credit: CNC Agency
Trojan
Hosting another watch party in Washington, D.C., Trojan set up a basketball-themed event in Navy Yard, promoting its newest condom product. Former NBA player Quinn Cook was Trojan’s special guest, joining attendees as they played interactive basketball games to score swag and tickets to the Elite Eight game, during which UConn beat Duke.
Trojan’s street team invited passersby to “shoot their shot,” and if the participants made a basket, they earned event entry, free products, drinks and other prizes. SLAM and Overtime partnered with Trojan on the watch party. The activation then traveled to the Final Four, and pro basketball player Mario Chalmers helped bring the energy to fans in Indianapolis.
Photos: Courtesy of Trojan
