RITZ Taps College Athletes For its March Madness Campaign

The RITZ brand is tapping into the influence of top college athletes for its NCAA March Madness campaign and ad spots, with the goal of actively engaging fans to try out its new RITZ Toasted Chips offering.

Leading up to the games, its 16 NIL athletes were sharing their initial taste reactions on their own social media channels. The athletes also encouraged fans to participate in the ‘Are You Snack Bracket Ready’ sweepstakes. These athletes include college basketball players such as Zakai Zeigler from the University of Tennessee, Trace Young from Louisiana State University, Jada Williams from the University of Arizona, Cameron Brink from Stanford University, and JuJu Watkins from the University of Southern California. The financial agreement was not disclosed.

To advertise RITZ Toasted Chips, the brand uses :06 and :15 second videos running across various platforms such as Meta, X, Tik Tok, and YouTube (including Shorts) as well as connected TV during March Madness. RITZ partnered with House of Highlights to create additional content, enhancing fan interaction and excitement.

According to Jennifer Sobolewski, Senior Brand Manager for RITZ, the campaign aims to foster a sense of togetherness among consumers. This will encourage people to not only watch the tournament, but also enjoy shared moments with others. Sobolewski said the brand wants to offer diverse initiatives and enable fans to interact with each other on a more personal level. Through these efforts, RITZ aims to establish a lasting presence in the sports industry and provide a unique brand experience for its customers.

“The tournament wouldn’t be possible without the talented athletes playing on behalf of their selected schools,” said Sobolewski. “We’re thrilled to further our investment in college athletics and partner with our 16 NCAA ambassadors along their collegiate journeys in the form of NIL deals.”

With the rise of NIL, RITZ sees it as a perfect opportunity to connect with the most passionate sports fans and create a memorable experience for them. The brand is confident that this strategic investment in the NIL space will be a game-changer, and it will help them reach new heights in the sports industry.

With a focus on showcasing the diverse talent present in the sport for its March Madness campaign, Sobolewski emphasized the careful selection process behind the RITZ roster. The brand aimed to provide athletes with autonomy in their content creation, allowing them to share their unique perspectives on their own social channels.

“The content published by our NCAA ambassadors will live exclusively on their own social channels,” said Sobolewski. “Content will be a combination of Instagram stories and in-feed posts, varied by athlete.”

Additionally, the RITZ brand has teamed up with two-time All-Star and two-time Pac-10 tournament MVP Isaiah Thomas. On April 6th, from 1 PM to 3 PM, Isaiah Thomas will be hosting fans at the RITZ Toasted Chips Experience at Fan Fest in Phoenix, contributing to RITZ’s efforts in creating memorable moments for all attendees. Content from this event will be published on RITZ’s TikTok and Instagram accounts.

During the winter of this year, RITZ capitalized on the Super Bowl with the implementation of a second screen experience for X to enhance the experience for football fans watching at home. Since then, the RITZ brand has been exploring unconventional ways to attract sports fans through various channels.

According to Britt St. George, co-founder of Smith&Saint, a talent agency, NIL presents new opportunities to brands, universities, and athletes. Brands can use March Madness as the backdrop for evergreen campaigns with long-term brand ambassadors or create one-time campaigns with prominent women’s and men’s basketball players to convey timely messages.

“The investment of marketing dollars in this way continues to show how brands are valuing marketing through college sports by virtue of how deeply consumers resonate with collegiate athletes, and the weight their endorsements hold as trustworthy figures in sport,” said St. George.