Oh March. The college basketball season reaches its pinnacle. If you're a fan (or are married to one), you know that the tournament leads off with 16 games on Thursday, 16 games on Friday, then 8 on Saturday, and 8 on Sunday. That's a lot of basketball in one weekend! (And there's even more with the “other” tournament. And throw some pro games in and you have your fill of hoops.)



I not a crazed fan, but I like to take in a game – especially a tournament game – when I get the chance. (OK, as a KU fan, I have to brag that I was able to attend the national championship last year in San Antonio. My client, Joe, and I went and had a blast! Rock Chalk Jayhawk!)

On Satuday, at the last minute, I decided to go over to Kansas City to check out the games and take the wife out to dinner (who was a sport and went along based on the bribe that I would take her out to a nice restaurant afterwards!)

Anyway, my weekend was a lot like this article. Talking about basketball and NOT about marketing. Well, the two are NOT mutually exclusive. So to get some “work” done while watching the games, I started to make a mental list of marketing lessons we can learn from basketball.

1. Competition creates more value

No offense to the good people of Maryland, but the game I saw on Saturday pitting the Terps against Memphis was a bit like watching a scrimmage. My wife was nodding off. The point … a close game is great to watch, even if you don't know the teams.

The same holds true for marketing. Competition, even if we don't really like it, does bring the best out in teams and is a whole lot more entertaining. Like it or not, stiff competition brings up the value.

2. Anyone can win any given game; it's fun when the underdog wins

One fun thing about the tournament is that any team can knock off the other. Part of the fun is watching the underdogs come up and win. The same is true in marketing. Small firms compete against big firms all the time. Often it is the “underestimate” factor.

3. But more often than not, the higher ranked team wins

As much fun as it is to root for the lower seed, more often than not, the more powerful team wins. They have momentum. They have a better coach. They have history. Great teams build on that and fight off those who wish to knock them off the mountain.

4. It takes practice – practice is discipline

Marketing is discipline and it takes practice. Basketball is the same way.

5. It is a coordinated effort

There are 5 guys on a basketball court. All play offense and defense. There are usually 2-4 guys who will rotate in. And the coach has dozens of set plays to choose from.

The coaches go into a basketball game with a game plan, but the real mastery comes in when the coach assesses the exact situation of the game and deploys their resources to produce the best result.

Marketing is the careful coordination of many variables to produce a result in the market.

6. Momentum works in basketball – timeouts are there to break momentum

The timeout in basketball is a very strategic action. Often it is employed to STOP momentum. When a team gets on a roll, it is not uncommon at all to see them go on a 13 to 3 run and shift the makeup of the game. In other words, when it is going great, it tends to build on itself. (Hence, why the opposing coach calls a timeout!)

Marketing builds on momentum in a similar way. The only variance is that there are no “timeouts!”

7. A lifetime of work often comes down to one critical moment

Drive down the neighborhoods, the parks, or the community centers on any given weekend and you will see young boys playing 1 on 1, horse, or just practicing free throws. Those young boys go on to play middle school, then high school, and the elite ones end up in playing in March Madness.

Many of the games in the tournament will come down to a jump shot or a free throw at a critical moment at the end of the game. When that young man takes that shot, it will be like thousands of others taken over the course of a lifetime.

Experience matters in marketing as well. Sure, you see inexperienced marketers come along every once in a while and totally shake things up. But more common is the business person who gains experience over the course of a lifetime.

8. There are a lot of great teams – often separated only by a small amount

I sure enjoyed last year, but play that tournament 10 times, and I cannot imagine that the Jayhawks win that tournament more than a couple of times, if that. The tournament starts with 64 teams, and, sure, some of them are not fully in the league of the others. But in any given year, there are probably 10-12 teams with a legitimate shot of taking it all.

No question, the edge between #1 and #2 is very slight. It all comes down to execution and hitting your stride at the right time.

In marketing, it means being “good enough” isn't. To win consistently, you have to distinguish yourself from strong companies. It means continuous improvement, and holding yourself and your team to a higher standard. The winner usually garners a disproportionate share of the rewards, particularly in light of the competitiveness of the firms.

Basketball is fun to watch. So is marketing! Have a great MARCH!