Launching the next chapter in its brand purpose platform through a new inclusivity campaign, NCAA partner Ritz Crackers rolled out a basketball-themed TV spot starring volunteer basketball team manager and Special Olympics athlete Reid Demelo.
The commercial, called ‘The Manager’, launches a new campaign which builds on the brand’s ‘A Taste Of Welcome’ purpose platform, which seeks to raise the visibility of people and communities who may have felt unseen during too many points in their lives.
The ad features Demelo eating the Mondelēz-owned cracker snacks while talking and laughing with the players in his custom branded manager’s fleece. The voiceover pays tribute to “those who impact the game without even playing.”
The hero commercial rolled out on 16 March airing during March Madness on ABC and CBS to leveraged spiking basketball interest around the college hoops tournament tip off.
The campaign, created by agency of record The Martin Agency, aims to champion all those who work behind the scenes to make a big impact on the game and their teams.
The TV work is backed by social posts and paid digital ads with campaign content, linked via the hashtags #RITZCrackers, #WelcomeToTheMadness and #TasteOfWelcome, also including a vide-call style ‘A Snack For Everyone’ social spot which drives home a more product sales message that Ritz has a gameday snack for everyone and features fans watching the tournament from home.
Ritz is a long-time sponsor of the NCAA.
“To celebrate our ninth year as an NCAA sponsor, we wanted to celebrate other team members, like team managers, who impact the game on and off the court,” explained Ritz Associate Marketing Director Santiago Gomez Bernal.
“Demelo and his teammates are an incredible example of what inclusivity should look like,” Bernal added. “We hope our fans and those watching the games are inspired to create more welcoming team environments in their communities.”
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Demelo, who has Down Syndrome, first rose to national attention in 2019 when he went viral after leaving his managerial duties on the bench to pull on a jersey, step out onto the court and score a buzzer-beating three pointer for his high school basketball team.
The company’s ‘A Taste Of Welcome’ purpose platform debuted in 2020 with a holiday themed campaign called ‘Where There’s Love, There’s Family’ and as part of that initiative Ritz donated $50,000 to three different organizations: non-profit Invisible People (which works to humanize homelessness), Covid-19 relief initiative Hispanic Star and the It Gets Better Project (which aims to educate and empower LGBTQ+ youth).
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