Wendy’s takes on the competition with March Madness advertising

Who’s on Top? – March 19-25, 2018

March Madness games are continuing to light up the scoreboard for advertisers. During the week ending March 19, the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 rounds of the tournament accounted for 24 percent of total ad spending for national TV, higher than any other program. For new commercials, this percentage jumped even higher, with NCAA games accounting for 31 percent of expenditures.

Overall, advertisers spent $136 million on new national TV ads during the week, down almost 50 percent compared to the week prior when there were double the number of March Madness games for advertisers to bet on and spend figures were higher than what we see on an average week.

Creative Spotlight

As the official hamburger of the NCAA, Wendy’s released a series of ads targeting fans of the March Madness tournament. The cheeky ads poked fun at the competition while encouraging viewers to download the Wendy’s mobile app for a free Dave’s Single with any purchase.

As a brand that’s been known to troll its rivals, Wendy’s boasted about their burgers being made with fresh beef, while others are using frozen. Even though defense wins championships, the only offense Wendy’s sees in March is a frozen burger.

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This data is part of ongoing reporting we release on a weekly basis. Make sure to check back every week for the most recent data, or contact us to learn how you can discover your competitors’ breaking ads on your own in real–time using our AdScope tool. Already an AdScope customer? Log in now and see what your competitors are up to.