THE HOME DEPOT ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH NCAA ®, COMBINING THE FANDOM OF MARCH MADNESS ® WITH THE SATISFACTION OF DIY
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Insights
From a marketing perspective, The Home Depot's partnership with the NCAA represents a strategic alignment with a significant cultural event. By associating with March Madness, a time when consumer engagement is high, The Home Depot leverages the tournament's visibility to promote its brand during a peak season for home improvement projects. The use of Shaquille O'Neal, a well-known sports figure, in the 'Tips from the Tool Shaq' series is a clever play on words and celebrity endorsement that can enhance recall and affinity among the target audience.
The campaign's multi-platform approach, spanning TV, digital and experiential activations, reflects a comprehensive strategy to reach consumers across various touchpoints. The focus on 'doers'—The Home Depot's core consumer base—by providing practical project guides and videos is a direct attempt to drive traffic to their online and physical stores by positioning the brand as a helpful and knowledgeable authority in the home improvement space.
Expanding upon the marketing implications, the partnership with the NCAA and the creation of themed content around March Madness is a strategic move to tap into the emotional connection fans have with the tournament. The Home Depot's decision to launch the campaign on Selection Sunday is calculated to capitalize on the heightened excitement and anticipation among fans. This timing can potentially lead to increased consumer engagement with the brand's content and, subsequently, its products and services.
In addition, the long-term commitment to college sports, as evidenced by previous associations with CBS Sports and College GameDay, reinforces The Home Depot's brand presence in the collegiate sports arena. The sponsorship of HBCU sports conferences further demonstrates a commitment to diversity and inclusion, which can resonate positively with a broader demographic, potentially expanding the brand's reach and customer base.
Understanding the consumer behavior aspect, The Home Depot's campaign is likely designed to leverage the psychological phenomenon known as 'the halo effect.' By associating with the positive and exciting emotions surrounding March Madness, the brand may benefit from a favorable perception that extends to its products and services. Moreover, the campaign's timing, coinciding with the onset of spring—a season traditionally associated with renewal and home improvement projects—suggests a strategic attempt to align the brand with seasonal consumer behavior patterns.
The involvement of a celebrity like Shaquille O'Neal can also influence consumer behavior through the principle of social proof, where consumers are more likely to engage with a brand or product if it is endorsed by a person they admire or relate to. This can be particularly effective when the celebrity's persona aligns with the brand's values of hard work and practicality, potentially leading to increased consumer trust and loyalty to The Home Depot.
New "How to March Madness" campaign and "Tips from the Tool Shaq" content series featuring Shaquille O'Neal aim to help doers get more done this spring
Just before the NCAA tournament tips off on the first day of spring, The Home Depot will launch its "How to March Madness" campaign on Selection Sunday. Brought to life by Home Depot associates and basketball legend and ultimate Home Depot fan, Shaquille O'Neal, the campaign includes "Tips from the Tool Shaq," a content series to help doers get their spring projects done. The series features entertaining content tying together basketball themes with common spring projects including "How to Protect the Paint" and "How to Clean the Glass."
"The Home Depot's customers are also big sports fans, and March Madness is one of the most exciting times of the year," said Molly Battin, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at The Home Depot. "We've had a long-standing commitment to collegiate sports, and we're excited to add the NCAA and its March Madness tournaments to our roster. We look forward to connecting with our customers in a fun, authentic way and empowering them as they tackle their spring projects."
The three-year partnership with the NCAA, CBS Sports and TNT Sports builds on The Home Depot's strong connection to college sports, which includes a 26-year association with CBS Sports' college football coverage, a 22-season College GameDay partnership and sponsorships of all four major Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) sports conferences: Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) and Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).
"We are thrilled to welcome The Home Depot, one of the most recognized brands in college sports, to the NCAA Corporate Champions and Partners Program," said Dan Gavitt, NCAA senior vice president of basketball. "We appreciate Home Depot extending its support of college student-athletes to NCAA Championships, which includes March Madness. We look forward to working with Home Depot on its activations engaging fans during our championship events."
Launching March 17, an extensive collection of project guides, step-by-step videos and "Tips from the Tool Shaq" will be available at www.homedepot.com/HowTo. The campaign will feature ads on linear TV including CBS, TBS, TNT, TruTV and ESPN Network; digital and social content; integrations and experiential activations including an onsite Tool Shaq allowing attendees at the Men's and Women's Final Four to experience "How to March Madness" firsthand.
For more information on The Home Depot and NCAA partnership, please visit homedepot.com or follow along on Instagram.
About The Home Depot
The Home Depot is the world's largest home improvement specialty retailer. At the end of fiscal year 2023, the company operated a total of 2,335 retail stores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia,
ABOUT THE NCAA
The NCAA is a diverse association of more than 1,100 member colleges and universities that prioritize academics, well-being and fairness to create greater opportunities for nearly half a million student-athletes each year. The NCAA provides a pathway to higher education and beyond for student-athletes pursuing academic goals and competing in NCAA sports. More than 54,000 student-athletes experience the pinnacle of intercollegiate athletics by competing in NCAA championships each year. Visit ncaa.org and ncaa.com for more details about the Association and its programs that support the NCAA membership, which includes its student-athletes.
All NCAA related trademarks are property of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
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SOURCE The Home Depot
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