Buffalo Wild Wings charges into March Madness with multiplatform campaign

Dive Brief:

Buffalo Wild Wings — the "Official Hangout for NCAA March Madness" — has launched a multiplatform "We Do It For You" campaign in honor of the college basketball tournament. The effort includes TV, social media and digital spots, along with in-restaurant and on-site activations at basketball games, according to a company press release.
The in-restaurant and on-site aspect includes a tournament-themed Snapchat filter that lets users highlight game moments and join in on the official campaign hashtag #HitTheButton. Fans can also spur their teams on with a "rally beard." At restaurants, fans get a free "real-life" rally beard beginning with the Sweet Sixteen portion of the draw and, at games, fans can digitally scan and display rally beards via facial mapping tech to share on social.
Other social media-specific elements include Facebook and Twitter videos and GIFs designed to distract the opposing team, Instagram Stories with a playbook tutorial for using menu items to affect games and tweets where the #HitTheButton hashtag will scroll in real-time on the Buffalo Wild Wings website.

Dive Insight:

Buffalo Wild Wing's latest campaign taps a wide variety of marketing channels to get the most traction out of one of the biggest, buzziest sporting events of the year. Given March Madness' focus on college students, the brand is smart to leverage both Snapchat and Instagram Stories, as the two platforms are shown to have heavily youth-centric, highly engaged audiences.

The robust social and digital components of the effort, combined with the in-restaurant and real-world activations, highlight the importance for marketers in tying together multiple channels to maximize reach and engagement.

One of the TV spots demonstrates just how interconnected the various facets of "We Do It For You" are, showcasing how a "rally beard" ties to the branded Snapchat filter as well as the physical, in-restaurant experience.

The big message behind the campaign is what Buffalo Wild Wings describes as a "unique ability to make games more exciting for fans everywhere."

However, the overall focus of "We Do It For You" is the in-restaurant experience, with the goal of driving foot traffic to Buffalo Wild Wings spots where people can watch their teams.