This weekend, college basketball takes center stage as the NCAA Final Four commences in Minneapolis. While the tournament has been unkind to perennial favorites such as North Carolina and Duke, it has provided tremendous excitement for four quality teams that can hold their heads high despite the outcome of this weekend’s games.
Whether your team is still alive or not, chances are you still have a dog in the fight. According to the American Gaming Association, roughly 70 million NCAA brackets were filled out this year. While you’re looking to make your final bets this weekend, many organizations are betting on PR to elevate their profile and improve their bottom line.
In honor of the big games, we’ve assembled our own Final Four of integrated marketing components, when leveraged correctly, will have you cutting down the nets as “One Shining Moment” blasts from the speakers.
These components are often siloed within specific teams at organizations, but what if the four teams worked together to create one championship campaign?
Let’s look at the teams.
The Paid Pipers – This team is characterized by its ability to create traditional and digital advertising campaigns that hit at a high percentage. Quality events and sponsorships have elevated them to the top-of-the-class.
The Owned Omnipotents – This team’s website, online press room, blog and internal newsletter have earned rave reviews from experts. Their internal publication and newsletter have also consistently received cheers from even the casual observer.
The Shared Sensations – This team knows how to optimize social media and is masterful creating shareable content. They’ve been praised for their ability to work closely with the earned media team to amplify content.
The Earned Extraordinaires – This team knows how to communicate with clients and media alike and consistently grabs the headlines. Preparation has separated them from the pack. This team is literally prepared for any potential situation that may occur.
Is your company maximizing playing as a team? Check out our handy checklist below. If you can’t mark each box, perhaps it’s time to bring in some new recruits who can help you get the job done.
As design director at Cookerly, Tim serves as the creative lead in the development of branding campaigns, print collateral and digital media for clients across a broad range of industries, including consumer, professional services, healthcare and technology.
As a senior vice president at Cookerly, Mike Rieman is a strategic communications leader specializing in media relations and reputation management. With a proven track record of securing high-profile placements in top-tier outlets such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNN and USA Today, he excels at crafting compelling narratives that resonate across print, broadcast and digital platforms.
Mike Touhill is vice president at Cookerly Public Relations, where he helps lead traditional, social and digital media programs for B2B and B2C clients in packaging, telecommunications and technology, among other industries. As a communication leader, he develops and executes public relations strategy, provides proactive and reactive counsel to C-level executives and secures earned media coverage for client initiatives and product.
Andrew Agan is a vice president at Cookerly Public Relations, overseeing the agency’s internship program and leading media relations, content strategy and social media initiatives. He provides counsel and executes campaigns for clients across various sectors, including finance, healthcare, hospitality, technology, automotive and many others. Andrew excels at crafting compelling stories and building media relationships, resulting in clients being featured in notable outlets such as CNBC, Associated Press, Business Insider, Fox Business, HBO, Inc. Magazine, Sirius XM, The Wall Street Journal and USA Today, among others.
As vice president of Cookerly, Sheryl Sellaway uses her extensive corporate communications background to lead consumer PR efforts, deliver strategy for marketing programs and share expertise about community initiatives.