As part of its comprehensive corporate partnership with the NCAA, CBS Sports and Turner Sports, NCAA Men’s Basketball and the 2011 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, INFINITI has announced it is sponsoring the all-new “Round by Round Coaches vs. Cancer” bracket game and CBSSports.com’s “Bracket Challenge.”
Fan participation will drive INFINITI’s donation of up to $500,000 to Coaches vs. Cancer, a collaboration between the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) that empowers coaches, their teams and communities to join the fight against cancer.
Registered fans at cbssports.com/INFINITI, make picks for each of the 67 match-ups throughout the Championship tournament, including the new First Four™ and the always electrifying Men’s Final Four®. Fans are encouraged to return to the bracket and select their picks throughout the total of six competition rounds. Participants will be eligible to win weekly prizes, including computer tablets and a grand prize of a trip for two to the 2012 NCAA Men’s Final Four in New Orleans.
“INFINITI will once again have a major presence throughout the always exciting NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship. We are particularly proud of our ability to drive attention to the inspiring work of Coaches vs. Cancer through engaging fans with the ‘Round by Round Coaches vs. Cancer,’” said INFINITI Vice President Ben Poore. “The more times fans enter, the more chances they have to win prizes and make a difference in the fight against cancer.”
Custom "Inspiration is Contagious" co-branded features will be shown during the coverage on TBS, TNT, truTV and CBS. INFINITI also serves as the presenting sponsor of the “INFINITI NCAA Tip-Off,” a TBS and truTV pre-game show airing throughout the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship. CBS Sports and Turner Sports will present fully integrated game and studio productions across all four networks throughout the tournament, utilizing the same graphics, musical beds, unique camera angles and an integrated talent line-up.
“INFINITI NCAA Tip-Off” will run 17 times during the NCAA Tournament and include a special feature dedicated to “Inspiration is Contagious.” The segment will drive traffic to the “Round by Round Coaches vs Cancer” game at the cbssports.com/INFINITI page.
In addition, INFINITI will present in-game "coaches’ spotlights" during the tournament. The broadcast debut of the all-new 2012 INFINITI M Hybrid will take place during the tournament during the second round on March 17.
INFINITI is also the exclusive sponsor of CBSSports.com’s “Bracket Challenge.” The fan who can claim bracket dominance will win a true INFINITI luxury experience for four to the 2012 Men’s Final Four in New Orleans. To promote these exclusive sponsorships and the all-new INFINITI M Hybrid, INFINITI will have a strong presence on NCAA March Madness® On Demand, CBSSports.com, SI.com and NCAA.com. In addition, INFINITI will stage several premium homepage takeovers on AOL, CBSSports.com, ESPN, SI, Yahoo Sports! and YouTube.
Social media also will play a vital role in keeping consumers engaged by reminding them to make their selections for “Round by Round Coaches vs Cancer” on the INFINITI Twitter handle @INFINITINews and Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/infiniti.
To further build on INFINITI brand awareness, INFINITI is presenting sponsor of the Tip-Off Tailgate area at the Final Four site in Houston. INFINITI will have an extensive signage presence through the days of the event. Tip-Off Tailgate hours are 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Friday, 1 – 4 p.m. Saturday and 4:30 – 7:15 p.m. Monday.
About INFINITI
INFINITI offers a full-line of luxury performance automobiles, including the G Coupe, Sedan and Convertible, M sedan, EX and FX crossovers, and the QX full-size SUV. More information about INFINITI and its Total Ownership Experience® can be found at www.INFINITIUSA.com.
About NCAA
The NCAA is a membership-led nonprofit association of colleges and universities committed to supporting academic and athletic opportunities for more than 400,000 student-athletes at more than 1,000 member colleges and universities. Each year, more than 54,000 student-athletes compete in NCAA championships in Divisions I, II and III sports. Visit www.ncaa.org and www.ncaa.com for more details about the Association, its goals and members and corporate partnerships that help support programs for student-athletes. [NCAA, Final Four and March Madness are trademarks owned or licensed by the National Collegiate Athletic Association.]
About CBS Sports
CBS Sports, a year-round leader in television sports, broadcasts a portfolio of events on the CBS Television Network, including the NFL’s American Football Conference; THE NFL TODAY; college basketball, including the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship; golf, including The Masters® and PGA Championship; college football, including the SEC ON CBS; the U.S. Open Tennis Championships; CBS SPORTS SPECTACULAR, including track & field, auto racing and gymnastics. In addition, the division directs the CBS College Sports Network, a 24-hour national cable network; produces Inside the NFL for Showtime; and partners with CBS Sports.com in creating a recognized leader among sports Internet destinations.
About Turner Sports
Turner Sports, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., is an industry leader in televised and online sports programming, airing championship level sporting events on TBS, TNT and truTV, and managing some of the most popular sports sites on the Internet. Turner Sports’ television line-up includes the NBA, Major League Baseball, the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, NASCAR and professional golf.
The company’s digital portfolio includes SI.com, NASCAR.COM, NCAA.com, PGATOUR.COM, GOLF.com and PGA.com, as well as an accompanying collection of mobile websites and connected device apps. Turner Sports and the NBA also jointly manage NBA Digital, which includes NBA TV, NBA.com, NBA LEAGUE PASS, NBA Mobile, the NBA Game Time App, NBADLEAGUE.com and WNBA.com.
About Coaches vs. Cancer
Coaches vs. Cancer has raised more than $60 million since 1993 to support the Society’s mission of saving lives by helping people stay well, helping people get well, by finding cures and fighting back against the disease. More information is available at: http://www.cancer.org/Involved/Participate/CoachesvsCancer/index.
About the National Association of Basketball Coaches
Located in Kansas City, Missouri, the NABC was founded in 1927 by Forrest “Phog” Allen, the legendary basketball coach at the University of Kansas. Allen, a student of James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, organized coaches into this collective group to serve as Guardians of the Game. The NABC currently has nearly 5,000 members consisting primarily of university and college men’s basketball coaches. All members of the NABC are expected to uphold the core values of being a Guardian of the Game by bringing attention to the positive aspects of the sport of basketball and the role coaches play in the academic and athletic lives of today’s student-athletes. The four core values of being a Guardian of the Game are advocacy, leadership, service and education. Additional information about the NABC, its programs and membership, can be found at www.nabc.com.
NCAA Final Four is a registered trademark of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
# # #
Contact:
Ray Daniels
INFINITI Product Communications
615-725-1449
ray.daniels@infiniti.com
Jen Sabatelle
CBS Sports
212-975-4120
jsabatelle@cbs.com
Jenn Toner
Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.
212-275-6642
jennifer.toner@turner.com
Gail Dent
NCAA
317-917-6117
gdent@ncaa.org