How Branding and Awareness Pulled Off a Slam Dunk.
Client: MEAC (Mid Eastern Athletic Conference)
Basketball Tournament
Project: Brand the Tournament and Increase Awareness
Challenge:
The MEAC Tournament is Division I basketball, homecoming
reunion event draw both alumni and students. Attendance
however was low. Too low. And, considering that one of
the more established, better-financed college basketball
tournaments was one week prior the MEAC, competition was
fierce. MEAC changed its venue from Richmond, VA to Raleigh,
NC in 2006. Now they just needed to "move" and
inspire people to come.
Objectives:
Create a brand that would turn MEAC's game around into
the "can't miss" tournament of the year.
Results:
After introducing a brand rejuvenation campaign on a grassroots
budget, ticket sales more than doubled; in 2006 there
was a 50% increase in sales and in 2007 the cumulative
growth exceed 100%. The marketing campaign has caught
the attention of some of the biggest awards shows too—placing
radio in a finalist position in the highly coveted Radio
Mercury Awards.
