NCAA sponsor Dove Men+Care partners with NBA star JJ Redick to publish a ‘Real Strength Manifesto’: a good sportsmanship proclamation based around encouraging fans to keep their rivalries respectful.
As college hoops fans across the USA sweat over the brackets at the start of the NCAA Division 1 national championships, the brand- and star-backed statement of belief follows research among American and Canadian men regarding the college basketball fan experience.
The unifying manifesto is based on the idea that fans are ‘part of something bigger than themselves’ and includes the lines: ‘I believe in choosing sportsmanship over sides because our passion should pull us together and not apart. I believe caring for something greater than myself makes me stronger. Because the fan I am reflects the man I am.’
The initiative was launched with a tweet from Redick to his Twitter followers.
I partnered w/ @DoveMenCare to bring out the best in fans. That starts w/ me. Here’s to rivalry with respect @THANS50. #RealStrength pic.twitter.com/WC78XnaeMt
— JJ Redick (@JJRedick) March 2, 2017
The platform is also endorsed by nearly 30 big basketball names: from Hall of Famer Alonzo Mourning and Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun, plus University of Memphis coach Tubby Smith (plus The National Association of Basketball Coaches), to current stars like LA Clippers’ Reddick and Anthony Davis.
All have signed up to the ‘Real Strength Manifesto’ – hosted on the brand’s campaign microsite at http://www.dove.com/us/en/men-care/ncaa.html – and are urging fans across the country to join them in signing the pledge and sharing it on social media – thus spreading a ‘good sportsmanship’ movement nationwide.
The content pieces encourage fans to learn more about the movement at www.dovemencare.com/ncaa where they can find out you customise personal support with the hashtag #RealStrength.
The campaign is being pushed across Dove’s digital and social channels with a set of content pieces and creative executions in addition to the manifesto itself.
We created the #RealStrength Manifesto to inspire the best in the basketball community. RT to rally for care. pic.twitter.com/BeODmZuiEi
— Dove Men+Care (@DoveMenCare) March 2, 2017
#MarchMadness is fueled by fans.
So we created a manifesto to bring out the best in the basketball community.https://t.co/PBouGCnUPP
— Dove Men+Care (@DoveMenCare) March 6, 2017
Caring for the competition is the real win. RT to show what #RealStrength looks like. pic.twitter.com/Ie4zKzQnJ8
— Dove Men+Care (@DoveMenCare) March 6, 2017
While a spearhead video supports the movement, developed in harness with Davie Brown Entertainment, was first posted on the brand’s YouTube channel on 6 March and which will run on Turner properties through the tournament, as well as on NCAA’s March Madness Live.
With a focus on ‘good sportsmanship’, ‘togetherness’ and the idea ‘that caring for something greater than yourself makes you stronger’, the manifesto was launched to coincide with the period in which millions of college basketball fans are sweating over their brackets for the beginning of March Madness, Dove Men+Care aims to use its rights around the 2017 tournament to score brand-building points for good behaviour and values.
‘We are rallying fans to unite and sign the ‘Real Strength Manifesto’ to show that all basketball fans, players and coaches agree that care and sportsmanship, both on and off the court, are as important as the win,’ explains Dove Men+Care marketing VP Nick Soukas.
Dove parent brand Unilever explains that the movement is a response to research which found that 97% of men surveyed say ‘they believe they can show good sportsmanship during games without sacrificing any of the painted-face or foot-stomping passion that typically accompanies the playoffs’.
78% of US men report having seen aggressive fan behaviour while attending a sporting event in person and 71% have seen aggressive fan behaviour online.
Of those who have seen or experienced aggressive fan behaviour, 89% think that it negatively affects their enjoyment of the game and 97% of all respondents agree that sporting events are more enjoyable when fans on both sides are respectful and display sportsmanship.
‘We know that 8 out of 10 men have experienced aggressive fan behaviour while attending a sporting event, and 89% of those men say it negatively impacts their enjoyment of the game,’ says a brand PR statement trumpeting the initiative’s launch..
‘We wanted to create the Real Strength Manifesto to unify fans through their deep passion for the game and to celebrate the impact their energy can have on those around them, including fellow fans, players and coaches.’
Activative Comment:
Dove Men+Care is in its sixth year of partnering with the NCAA men’s basketball championship and its 2017 activation follows on from last year’s softer, yet similar Dove basketball initiative – which also used athlete ambassadors (such as Kevin Ollie) social channels to amplify a values led message.
He didn't just teach me the game, he taught me to be a better person.
I joined @DoveMenCare to share #RealStrength. pic.twitter.com/GFAOJYjQYY
— Kevin Ollie (@CoachKO_UConn) April 5, 2016
This strategy sees some serious joined-up thinking between sponsor and right holder as aggressive fan behaviour could actually be part of the current decline in college basketball attendances.
Dove’s data may help make some sense of a recent downward trend in university hoops supporter attendance and declining TV audiences.
A June 2016 ESPN used an AP report to highlight attendance decline again in the 2015-16 campaign, while a previous 2015 article in Time magazine by Sean Gregory cited an AP report showing attendance for men’s Division I games have been declining for seven straight seasons and that TV ratings were down too.
Obviously there could be many other factors contributing to the falls – ranging from media fragmentation and rising ticket prices, to changing socio-cultural trends – but Dove’s data suggests fan behaviour could be part of the mix too.
While the NCAA and its flagship sports tournament remain in good financial shape with revenues topping $1bn per year, declining attendance and TV figures are a concern.
‘Respect’ and ‘fan behaviour’ are themes being leveraged in sports sponsorship campaigns far beyond the USA at the moment.
Another recent example, from a completely different sport in a totally different geographic market, is Tissot’s recent rugby union 6 Nations #RespectTheRef campaign (see case study).
Links:
Dove Men+Care
http://www.dove.com/us/en/men-care/ncaa.html
http://www.dove.com/us/en/men-care.html.
https://www.youtube.com/user/dovemencareus
https://www.facebook.com/dovemencareus/
https://twitter.com/DoveMenCare
https://www.instagram.com/dovemencare/
NCAA
