There are lots of interesting marketing campaigns around the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments each month, but a new one from Marriott International stands out. The hotel chain is entering its eighth year as the official hotel partner of the NCAA, including the March Madness tournament. To celebrate that, and to promote their Bonvoy rewards program, they’ve launched a “Score Big with Marriott Bonvoy Game Day Rituals” campaign and contest.
Both the contest and campaign are centered around the idea of gameday rituals. The contest offers a chance to win an exclusive experience (including flights and hotel accommodations, transportation, courtside seats, and food and beverage vouchers) at the Women’s Final Four in Cleveland, Ohio. Meanwhile, the ad campaign shows off Marriott hotels and the fans, coaches, and players who stay at them. Here’s the ad campaign:
That ad campaign (developed by Marriott International’s internal Riott Haus Creative agency) shows people preparing for games at various Marriott hotels. It features Marriott partners Sydney Carter (a former Texas A&M and WNBA player who’s now the director of player development for the Texas Longhorns’ women’s basketball team) and Elliot Cadeau (a star point guard for the North Carolina Tar Heels’ men’s team), as well as a UCLA fan and the Duke Blue Devil mascot, with all of those figures at various Marriott properties across the country. Here are some quotes on the ritual focus involved, from a release:
“Our Game Day Rituals campaign encapsulates the exceptional travel experiences that Marriott Bonvoy provides for travelers, from sports fans to players and coaches alike,” said Mandy Gill, Vice President, Continent Marketing, Marriott International. “Whether it is our convenient accommodations, exceptional associate service, or key amenities, each Marriott Bonvoy brand helps bring game day rituals to life, complementing every fan’s unique personality, passion, and lifestyle.”
…“Game day rituals are essential when I’m gearing up for a big matchup. As a player, putting on my uniform right-side first helped me get in a competitive mindset, and it’s still a tradition that I hold today as a coach to set myself up for success,” said women’s college basketball coach Sydney Carter. “Marriott Bonvoy’s Game Day Rituals campaign is such a fun representation of how important these traditions are for teams and fans, whether you wear a lucky jersey or meditate.”
This is part of that larger Marriott-NCAA partnership, now in its eighth year. And something Marriott is trying to emphasize in that partnership and in these ads is their wide range of hotels across their brands that might be fits for travelling teams, coaches, and fans. This year, that includes the Cleveland Marriott Downtown at Key Tower for the Women’s Final Four and the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown for the men’s Final Four. And the rituals idea includes a chance to win the aforementioned women’s package, and chances for those who don’t win to bid on similar experiences. Here are the details on that:
As an homage to the game day rituals that keep the excitement of sports alive, fans could Score Big with an opportunity to win an exclusive experience at the Women’s Final Four® tournament in Cleveland, Ohio. Beginning Tuesday, February 20, through Monday, March 11, sports fans can visit scorebigwithmarriottbonvoy.com, enter their Marriott Bonvoy number or sign up to become a member for free, and share their most eccentric game day rituals. One fan will win a grand prize for two including flights and hotel accommodations, transportation, courtside seats, and food and beverage vouchers for the Semi Final and Championship games, as well as a game day rituals session with Sydney Carter.
Those who don’t win the Marriott Bonvoy Game Day Rituals Contest will still have an opportunity to get in on the excitement by bidding on a Marriott Bonvoy Moments package for a similar fan experience.
There have been plenty of discussions about what’s ahead for the under-fire NCAA, especially around issues with name, image, and license deals. But it’s notable that NIL allows brands to get current players like Cadeau involved in these kinds of national ads, and that’s cool. And it’s interesting to see Marriott feature a current player and a current coach in this ad in addition to the fan and mascot, and to see them lean into the idea of game day rituals ahead of March Madness. We’ll see how this campaign and contest pay off for them, but it’s an interesting marketing approach, and one that definitely fits with what they’re trying to do with this overall NCAA partnership.
[Marriott Bonvoy on YouTube]
