What we can learn from The Final Four.

The NCAA Championship could be one of the best designed competitions in the world.  March Madness, The Brackets, The Betting, The Sweet 16, The Final Four . . . The Champion.

Every step of the way gets you more and more ramped up.  And by the end of it, you’re rooting for one team or another, whether or not you liked them at the beginning of the tournament . . . and sometimes whether or not you like basketball!

All professional and competitive sports have a built in marketing machine in the crowning of a champion at the end of each season.  And because of that hierarchical competitive design, fans . . . and even more importantly . . . the press . . . gets in on the action.  (The golf writers are going crazy right now with the Tiger Vs. Rory debate).  By writing about the competition, it encourages the fans to pick a side.  And whenever a person makes a pick, they become committed to getting other people to make that same pick.

And that’s word of mouth marketing.

Broadway has a season as well . . . and while we don’t have the same players and teams every year . . . we certainly have a heated battle for the top prizes.  It usually comes down to two, maybe three, shows or actors/actresses for the money awards (Kinky Boots vs. Matilda, anyone?).  What if we could find ways to focus on those fights?  And create a drama offstage as well as on?

Because the more we draw attention to the battle, the more people will care about its outcome.

 

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