Which Brands Scored Buzz Points for March Madness?
April 9, 2010
Who were the Dukes and Butlers of March Madness brand consumer perception this year? YouGov's BrandIndex report examined the buzz scores of men 18-34 of all the corporate sponsors of the NCAA Men's Division Basketball Championship, from tip-off on March 18 to the final buzzer on April 5. Here are the brands that took the biggest jump.The Brandweek Buzz Report by YouGov is a weekly consumer perception report that analyzes the most talked about brands based on buzz: The scores are based on weighing positive and negative perceptions of a brand. A +100 score is positive, a -100 score is negative, and a rating of zero means that the score is neutral.
YouGov interviews 5,000 people each weekday from a representative U.S. population sample. Respondents are drawn from an online panel of 1.5 million individuals.
The report spotlights:
• Toyota
• Lowe's
• State Farm
Toyota Gets a Jump Start
General Motors may have cut its March Madness support by half, but Toyota has not skipped a marketing beat and it’s lifting the company's reputation. Still traveling through the depths of negative perception, Toyota slowly moved upwards over the tournament’s duration from a buzz score of -53 to -37.4. One of the "Sweet 16" games was held at Houston’s Toyota Center, ensuring the brand name resonated with consumers and the media. In fact, Toyota had the most improved buzz score overall for the month of March when it comes to adults over 18.
Awards Sponsorship Boosts Lowe's
The home improvement retail chain's buzz score climbed modestly from 37.4 to 42.8, boosted mainly towards end of March Madness. Lowe's received national attention by sponsoring the "Senior Class Award," given to the most outstanding senior student-athlete.
State Farm Leaps Ahead
Like Lowe’s, State Farm saw its biggest leap as an award sponsor. The "State Farm All-America" team award for the Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Association was announced last Saturday at the Alamodrome, the site of the women's NCAA Final Four. At the tournament’s start, State Farm had a buzz score of 18. The insurance provider's score had jumped to 22.9 by April 1.
