March Madness

Even if you're not a huge Basketball Fan, being out of the loop on the Largest Sports Playoff in America is a little like not having heard of Simon Cowell (and the similarities between March Madness and American Idol don't stop there).

I always go into the Division 1 Men's College Basketball Playoffs more ignorant than I'd like. I get into the spirit of the competition, catching about as many of the playoff games as I do Olympic events (trying to catch the Big Ones and the Ones that are being billed as Great Contests), but I get so busy with Wrestling ending and Little League Baseball starting that my friends usually treat my bracket picks as either a good laugh or frankly a little bit sad (how could "Coach" Dave be so ignorant?).

Well you can't be an expert on everything; maybe they'll realize that when their boys are old enough to be in sports year 'round . . .

But the NCAA is doing something this year that I think is a brilliant marketing move. They're trying to capture audience and market share by broadcasting ALL LIVE GAMES on their website FOR FREE.

Check it out at NCAA.com

What lessons can business owners learn from this aggressive give away?

When times get tough, even if you're the biggest game in town, you still have to get your name out there. Now is the time to increase your market share through Networking, Advertising, and Product Placement.

Too many companies react to tough economic times by RAISING their prices, trying to make up for the drop in volume by increasing what they charge. That is like pulling the plug too early on a patient destined to recover. When this recession is all over, only the Champions will be left standing; those will be the companies that leave it all on the court.

For more information on March Madness, check out:

http://www.ncaamarchmadness2009.com/

and

http://mmod.ncaa.com/?source=mktg_09MMOD_SEg_MMOD4



And while you're at it, don't forget to tune in to see Coach Dave Johnston make his Webisode debut as "the coach" on Heckle U at CBS.com