Dive Brief:
- The NCAA college football playoff final Monday night brought in 33.4 million viewers putting it in the top cable broadcasts of all time.
- In an effort to cash in on the buzz surrounding the first ever football playoffs, brands took a shot at real time marketing on Twitter and social media.
- The best tweet of the night may have come from comedian Bob Newhart—making the observation that head referee held a resemblance to him.
In regards to my new career as head ref for #OSUvsORE - Hey, I don't have a series any more - I had to do something. #OSUvsORE
— Bob Newhart (@BobNewhart) January 13, 2015
we don't serve roast duck but if we did we'd stick a fork in it
— Denny's (@DennysDiner) January 13, 2015
Seriously, what's this ball made of tonight? #OREvsOSU pic.twitter.com/Dwn6KiFPur
— Butterfinger (@Butterfinger) January 13, 2015
Dive Insight:
The ratings certainly play into ESPN's dreams of having a Super Bowl worthy game that could draw in big ad dollars. Anytime an event with over 30 million people tune in, brands are going to try to capitalize on that attention. Besides Newhart's tweet, those attempting real-time marketing fell a little flat. It's the first year though and brands could pull together better strategies for next year.
