March Madness 2024: A Look Back at Packaging in Top Ads

Thu Mar 20, 2025

The 2025 NCAA March Madness tournament kicked off on March 18 for the men’s teams and March 19 for the women’s teams. As fans tune in to watch teams battle for the championship, brands seize the opportunity to showcase their products and services through high-impact advertising. Let’s take a closer look at some of the top-performing March Madness ads from last year’s 2024 tournament, focusing on packaging.

Beverage Brands Make a Splash in March Madness 2024 Ads

According to TV measurement company EDO, Coca-Cola, Gatorade, and Powerade were among the leading beverage brands delivering standout ads throughout the tournament.

Coca-Cola Spiced dominated the men’s tournament, securing a top-ten spot in multiple rounds, including the First Round, Second Round, Sweet Sixteen, Elite Eight, and Final Four. In the women’s tournament, it also ranked in the Final Four and Sweet Sixteen. This campaign leveraged limited-edition packaging displayed in aluminum cans, emphasizing the unique flavor and creating a visual and sensory appeal. Additionally, the product was sold in various packaging formats throughout North America, but ultimately, seven months later, it was announced that Coca-Cola was discontinuing the flavor. Notably, Shakir Moin, Chief of Marketing, Coca-Cola North America, stated, “Product development for us normally takes about 12 months, but this was done in seven weeks.” As the market expects faster delivery, brands must adapt, and Coca-Cola did just that with an innovative approach.
Powerade vs. Gatorade: The sports drink battle continued as both brands aired new campaigns. Powerade’s Mountain Berry Blast campaign emphasized its redesigned packaging and reformulated product, boasting 50% more electrolytes than the Gatorade Thirst Quencher. Its strategic branding, emphasizing its NCAA partnership, told a powerful story and helped secure top rankings in both tournaments. Meanwhile, Gatorade’s campaign “Always in Motion” promoted Gatorade Water, an alkaline, electrolyte-infused water, which ranked high in both leagues. Remarkably, its bottles are made from 100% recycled plastic (excluding caps and labels), aligning with the brand’s sustainability initiatives.
Other Notable Beverage Ads:

Corona’s “Buy a Bucket” campaign, featuring Eli Manning, showcased its beverage in aluminum-can packaging, as opposed to its classic glass bottle, and ranked 10th in the Women’s Championship.
Blue Moon’s “Crafted Bright and Light” campaign highlighted its 12 oz aluminum cans and ranked 2^nd in the First Round of the Men’s tournament.

According to Straits Research, the global aluminum beverage cans market size is projected to reach 60.75 billion by 2033, reinforcing aluminum as an appealing packaging choice due to its lightweight nature, ability to preserve freshness, durability, and recyclability. This trend highlights why brands like Coca-Cola, Blue Moon, and Corona continue to invest in aluminum packaging for sustainability and consumer appeal.

Top-Performing Beauty and Cosmetic Ads in March Madness 2024

Beauty and cosmetic brands made a strong impact during the 2024 NCAA Women’s March Madness tournament, with multiple campaigns securing top spots in ad rankings.

Dove’s Advanced Care campaign, featuring its dry spray antiperspirant deodorant, ranked eighth in the Women’s Championship.
Dove’s Body Confident Sports Program campaign followed closely, ranking ninth in the Elite Eight.
Degree’s Ultraclear Black + White campaign ranked fifth in the Women’s Sweet Sixteen, highlighting its antiperspirant deodorant’s innovative, no-stain formula.
Garnier’s Power of a Skin Filler campaign, featuring Charli D’Amelio, placed third in the Women’s Elite Eight, promoting hair repair products infused with vitamin Cg.

While beauty and cosmetic ads performed well in the women’s tournament, Axe’s Black Vanilla campaign stood out in the men’s tournament. Featuring Kris Jenkins, Shareef O’Neal, and Brandon Beloti, the ad ranked sixth in the Second Round and emphasized the scents of its antiperspirants, ranking 6^th among top-performing ads in the Second Round of the men’s tournament.

According to Fortune Business Insights, the global deodorant market was valued at USD 26.96 billion in 2024 and is expected to grow to USD 42.19 billion by 2032. Spray deodorants currently lead the market, accounting for 50.91% of the global share, followed by roll-ons and sticks. While plastic remains the dominant material in terms of packaging, metal packaging is expected to grow due to its easy recyclability process and durability, catering to eco-conscious consumers. Notably, organic deodorant solutions are trending upward as consumers become more aware of the health risks of traditional deodorants.

Bimzelx: The Top-Performing Pharmaceutical Ad

Pharmaceutical brands had a limited presence in March Madness ads. Still, Bimzelx stood out as the only pharmaceutical brand to rank in the top 10 throughout multiple rounds in the men’s tournament.

The Bimzelx “Wing” campaign promoted its treatment for moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis, active psoriatic arthritis, and active non-radiographic axial spondylarthritis.
While the campaign does not feature the product’s packaging, Bimzelx is available in a single-dose autoinjector or prefilled syringe, ensuring precise dosage and ease of patient use.

March Madness 2025: What’s Next?

Advertisers are doubling their investments as this year’s March Madness 2025 begins.

According to Adweek, the women’s tournament saw a 200% increase in total ads, with returning advertisers boosting their budgets by 81% compared to 2024.
112 advertisers from various industries are set to showcase their products in the women’s tournament.
For the men’s tournament, Ryan Briganti, EVP, Head of Sports Sales at Paramount Advertising, noted that this year’s ad marketplace picked up earlier than ever, fueled by strong demand for sports advertising.

We’re eager to see how packaging innovation and product presentation continue to evolve across a wide range of industries in March Madness 2025.

Final Thoughts

March Madness advertising is more than just catchy campaigns; it’s also about how brands present their products through packaging. Packaging plays a key role in product perception, usability, and consumer appeal, Whether eco-friendly water bottles, sleek deodorant sprays, limited-edition beverage cans, or pharmaceutical delivery systems. As 2025’s tournament progresses, we’ll continue to explore how brands innovate their packaging to stand out in a crowded advertising landscape.

Sources:

https://topads.edo.com/ad-engage/womens-march-madness/

https://topads.edo.com/ad-engage/march-madness/

https://www.bimzelx.com/plaque-psoriasis/about-bimzelx/dosing

https://www.bimzelx.com/

https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/deodorant-market-102687

https://www.bevindustry.com/articles/95623-powerade-debuts-new-formula-packaging

https://www.gatorade.com/product/gatorade-water/unflavored-ready-to-drink

https://www.adweek.com/convergent-tv/march-madness-ad-buys-womens-basketball/

https://straitsresearch.com/report/aluminum-beverage-cans-market

https://retailwire.com/discussion/why-did-coca-cola-give-up-on-spiced-so-quickly/