Bracket fever rose, but quickly died down as they went bust. One of the top questions in the third round was “how many brackets are still perfect?” By Sunday evening, the answer was “none.”

SEARCHES FOR BRACKETS

SOURCE: Google Internal Data, March 17 – 23, 2013, and March 16 – 22, 2014, United States. Data is indexed.

SOURCE: Google Internal Data, March 17 – 23, 2013, and March 16 – 22, 2014, United States. Data is indexed.

MOBILE SEARCHES FOR COLLEGE BASKETBALL SCORES, NEWS AND HIGHLIGHTS

Over the past few weeks, the NCAA March Madness tournament has dominated conversations, TV screens and social media feeds. Fans have been constantly connected—searching, watching and sharing. We take a look at this year’s trends through Google and YouTube data, and explore what they mean for your next event strategy.

20142013

80%Growth

Year Over Year

20%Growth

Year Over Year

CLASSIC GAMES HOW-TOSNEWS & COMMENTARY

| Think Insights thinkwithgoogle.com

MAR. 2013 MAR. 2014MAR. 2012

SOURCE: Google Internal Data, 2012 – 2014, United States. Data is indexed.

SEARCHES BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER MARCH MADNESS

Leading up to the tournament, fans search for scores to see which teams are likely to make it. This hits a peak around Selection Sunday, along with interest in brackets. As the madness ends, we see more searches for recruiting, with people wondering who will be drafted next year.

JAN. ‘1

1

JAN. ‘1

2

JAN. ‘1

3

JAN. ‘1

4

MAR. ‘14

SOURCE: Google Internal Data, January 2011 – March 2014, United States. Data is indexed.

SEARCHES FOR MARCH MADNESS

APR. ‘11

APR. ‘12

APR. ‘13

JUL.

‘11

JUL.

‘12

JUL.

‘13

OCT. ‘11

OCT. ‘12

OCT. ‘13

WHILE FANS HAD MORE WAYS THAN EVER TO ENGAGE WITH THE GAMES, ONLINE BRACKETS AND MOBILE NEWS SCORED BIG.

March Madness 2014WHAT THE TRENDS MEAN FOR MARKETING PLANS

THE BIG MOMENTS OF THE TOURNAMENT ARE BIG MOMENTS ONLINE.

SEARCH ACTIVITY FOR NCAA TEAMS DURING GAMES

SEARCHES FOR NCAA BASKETBALL TEAMS IN MARCH

SOURCE: Google Internal Data, March 29 – 31, 2014, United States. Data is indexed.

When Michigan fell to Kentucky, Wisconsin and Arizona battled through overtime, Dayton failed to upset Florida, and UConn outlasted Michigan St, basketball fans flocked to the web. Events like these lead to big spikes in search at the exact moments of interest.

MARCH 2014

WISCONSINBADGERS

KENTUCKYWILDCATS

CONNECTICUT HUSKIES

FLORIDAGATORS

BASKETBALL SCORES BRACKET BASKETBALL

RECRUITING

25242322 29282726212019181716151413121110987654321

SOURCE: Google Internal Data, March 1 – March 29, 2014, United States. Data is indexed.

Searches for March Madness start as early as January and last through April.

ONLINE, INTEREST LIVES LONGER THAN THE TOURNAMENT ITSELF AND VARIES THROUGHOUT THE SEASON.

More people were searching for college basketball news, scores and highlights, especially on mobile.

Interest grew as the tournament progressed and the Final Four drew near.

SELECTION SUNDAY

SELECTION SUNDAY

MARCH MADNESS

MARCH MADNESS

SELECTION SUNDAY

MARCH MADNESS 2011

MARCH MADNESS 2012

MARCH MADNESS 2013

MARCH MADNESS

2014

MARCH MADNESS

Events are more than just moments online. Take advantage of this wider window of opportunity by extending sponsorships and campaigns to capture interest before, during and after.

THE MARKETING PLAY

Even when events happen offline, there’s often a vast, interested digital audience. Be present online in potential moments of discovery and engagement.

THE MARKETING PLAY

Be prepared to ratchet up real-time marketing efforts in response to increased consumer demand and target them based on regional interest.

THE MARKETING PLAY

Engage fans by advertising on popular YouTube channels, creating original videos, or promoting existing content that's relevant to the event.

THE MARKETING PLAY

Turn event-driven excitement into demand for related products and services. Beyond targeted ads, consider special offers, deals, and contests.

THE MARKETING PLAY

As the nature of consumer’s interest changes, respond by adapting messaging, be it social content, ad creative, or search keywords.

THE MARKETING PLAY

Events lend themselves to mobile use. Ensure that related content is easy to access and read across screens and devices.

THE MARKETING PLAY

Build excitement around branded brackets or bracket-related content early on, well before the tournament begins.

THE MARKETING PLAY

TIPOFF2:20 P.M. EST

TIPOFF5:05 P.M. EST

GAME WINNING 3-POINTER: KENTUCKY WINS7:12 P.M. EST

TIPOFF8:49 P.M. EST

OVERTIME10:48 PM EST

FLORIDA WINS8:17 P.M. EST

WISCONSIN WINS11:08 P.M. EST

MAR.31

MAR.30

MAR.29

FLORIDABEATS DAYTON

WISCONSINBEATS ARIZONA

UCONNBEATS MICHIGAN ST.

KENTUCKYBEATS MICHIGAN

TIPOFF6:09 P.M. EST

UCONN WINS4:31 P.M. EST

The classic Final Four games on NCAA On Demand’s “Vault” playlist have been watched over 2 million times.

Views of the ACC Digital Network spike the week after Selection Sunday.

Professor Live's popular channel features the streetballer’s spin moves and dribbling tutorials.

Inspired to get off the couch and onto the court, people are searching for “basketball camps” in March (along with December and summertime). In fact, mobile searches are up 23% this year.

MOBILE SEARCHES FOR BASKETBALL CAMPS

MARCH MADNESS DRIVES A BROADER INTEREST IN BASKETBALL—FROM CLASSIC GAMES TO SUMMER CAMPS.

Basketball content on YouTube was watched more than 39 million times during the first weekend ofMarch Madness.

20142013

SATFRITHUWEDTUEMONSELECTIONSUNDAY

MAR.2014

FEB.2014

JAN.2014

DEC.2013

NOV.2013

OCT.2013

SEP.2013

AUG.2013

Google Internal Data, 2013, August 2013 – March 2014, United States. Data is indexed.

MARCH MADNESS

SATFRITHUWEDTUEMONSELECTIONSUNDAY