The NCAA basketball tournament is one of the biggest stages in sports. And for brands, the opportunity is tremendous. Today’s fans aren’t just watching the games. They’re following commentary, reacting in real time, sharing highlights, and looking for voices they trust to bring them to the heart of the magic. The brands that break through aren’t the ones that simply show up. They’re the ones that show up through people fans already trust and listen to.

That’s where creators come in.

During the last NCAA tournament, Tabasco didn’t just show up. They stepped directly into the fan experience. For the Sweet 16, Tabasco partnered with Audacy creator, and massive sports fan, Josh “Bru” Brubaker as their official college basketball correspondent. The idea was simple and smart. Instead of running a traditional sponsorship, meet fans where they are and make the brand part of the event.

Bru took the “Light Up Your Slice” campaign into Chase Arena and onto every screen fans use. He asked fans about their go-to life hacks. He shared his own favorite hack — Tabasco on pizza. And he handed out mini bottles courtside so fans could try it for themselves. Bru documented his game-day experience in real time, capturing the energy of the tourney and the reactions around him. The content felt natural because it was. It looked like fandom because it was. The brand wasn’t hovering over the moment. It was embedded in it.

The activation didn’t begin at tip-off. Through co-branded Bru-voiced spots running across streaming audio and sports podcasts, Tabasco and Audacy built momentum, teasing the special partnership that was about to come to life that weekend. This enabled Tabasco to reach fans before the games even started and reminded them to follow along on Bru’s social to watch the fun unfold. That early buzz gave the campaign context and continuity. By the time Bru was live at the Sweet 16, the audience was primed.

Once on-site, the campaign peaked on social where Bru’s audience showed up in force. Across audio and social, the campaign delivered 8.6 million impressions, including 2.7 million across social alone.

Bru’s reach amplified that impact. With more than 864,000 weekly listeners to his show and 5.5 million social followers, he brings an audience that travels with him. He moves easily from radio to TikTok to in-arena content because that’s how modern fans consume sports.

That’s the real story here. Sports fans don’t live on one platform. They move from stream to scroll to seat without thinking about it. A game preview on the radio in the car — a live game experience inside the arena — checking highlights and commentary post-game on social. The brands that win understand that this is one continuous journey.

Audio creators are uniquely positioned to lead that journey. They understand the culture around the game, not just the game itself. When a brand partners with the right creator, it gains more than impressions. It gains access to a trusted voice.

In Tabasco’s case, Bru didn’t just promote a product. He demonstrated it. He made it part of the shared experience, as a sports fan himself. That authenticity is difficult to replicate with traditional media alone.

There’s no single formula for activating around a tentpole event like the NCAA tournament. But there is a mindset that works. Identify the right creator. Harness the fandom. Show up in ways that feel native to the moment.

In this case, the activation worked because it was cohesive. Streaming audio delivered national reach among fans. Podcasts added depth with focused engagement. And Bru’s own game-day TikTok and Instagram content carried the story even further among sports fans because he is a massive sports fan. It was one idea expressed across platforms, guided by one creator.

That’s the direction sports marketing is heading. Audio creators are no longer limited to one channel. They can activate on air, on social, and on the ground at tentpole events. When brands empower them to move fluidly across those spaces, campaigns feel connected instead of fragmented. Tabasco allowed Bru to interpret the brand in his own voice. It meant recognizing that a few drops of Tabasco on a slice of pizza can be as powerful as a thirty-second spot when it’s delivered by someone fans already trust.

There’s always a common thread among the campaigns that resonate and win with sports fans. They respect the intensity of fandom and meet it with authenticity.

March Madness will always belong to the teams on the court. But the conversations around it, the rituals that define it, and the content that carries it forward belong to the fans. When brands partner with creators who already live inside that conversation, they don’t interrupt it — they contribute to it. That’s when sports marketing performs at its best.

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