Coke Zero Jump Starts NCAA March Madness

COKE ZERO JUMP STARTS NCAA® MARCH MADNESS®

Coke Zero School Shout Out rallies fans to show their school spirit and receive free NCAA® March Madness® Live access, plus chance to win trip to the

2012 NCAA Men’s Final Four®

ATLANTA, February 22, 2012 -March Madness is starting early this year for fans and viewers. That’s because Coke Zero is tapping into the intense loyalty NCAA basketball fans have for their favorite teams and their passion for all things NCAA Men’s Final Four to launch the Coke Zero School Shout Out.

Starting today through March 10 (or while supplies last), fans can text “0” plus their favorite NCAA Division I basketball team to “2653” to score one of thousands of free NCAA March Madness Live access packages and the chance to watch all the Tournament action across multiple digital and mobile platforms. In addition, fans can register at www.enjoymoremadness.com for the chance to win a trip for two to the 2012 NCAA Men’s Final Four in New Orleans.

“The NCAA March Madness fan experience is about much more than just the action on the court and whether your favorite team wins or loses. For fans, it’s about enjoying every moment of the action to the fullest extent from Selection Sunday® through the Final Four,” said Katie Bayne, president and general manager of sparkling beverages, Coca-Cola North America. “During this year’s tournament Coke Zero is offering fans an interactive platform that engages fans throughout the tournament, along with great prizing, so fans can enjoy more NCAA March Madness like never before.”
The Coke Zero NCAA March Madness perks are just ramping up with free March Madness Live. On Selection Sunday, Coke Zero will launch a highly interactive “Watch & Score” program that engages fans when they tune into coverage of the 2012 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship on CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV. Fans will be prompted to look for calls to action and keywords during the broadcasts and on March Madness Live to text in for a chance to instantly win impressive prizes including, trips to the 2012 NCAA Men’s Final Four, trips to the 2013 NCAA Men’s Final Four, roster spots at an Ultimate Basketball Fantasy Camp with legendary college basketball head coaches and home entertainment system makeovers.

My Coke Rewards members may also join the fun by playing the Coke Zero Bracket Game. Starting March 12, fans can gain unique codes from Coke Zero products, specially-marked promotional cups, and from the Watch & Score Instant Win Game to enter through their My Coke Rewards account at www.enjoymoremadness.com. With each code entry fans receive the chance to pick a team that they believe will advance to the next round in the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship. For each round, all of the fans who correctly pick a team that advances to the next round in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship tournament will be entered into a drawing with a chance to win a variety of prizes that will be awarded during the tournament such as 2012 and 2013 NCAA Men’s Final Four trips, as well as NCAA online gift cards, entertainment system makeovers, music downloads, gift cards and a variety of other prizes.

Extending the social chatter beyond the broadcast, the Coke Zero NCAA March Madness Social Arena will return as the virtual water cooler for March Madness interaction. New this year, features will be live across the entire NCAA March Madness Live suite and, for the first time, let fans grab key game moments and share them with friends and family. In addition, fans will be able to view social commentary from other fans and celebrities everywhere, answer live tournament trivia, and cheer for their favorite teams.

Formerly March Madness on Demand, NCAA March Madness Live will offer higher quality live video streams and video highlights for every game of the Tournament on the iPhone and Android phones, live game alerts for Android phones and iPhones and iPads; an updated design; and live radio broadcast courtesy of Westwood One/Dial Global Sports for all 67 games across the suite of digital products. NCAA March Madness Live, produced by Turner Sports Interactive, is available across all video screens and over Wi-fi and 3G for a one-time fee of $3.99. For additional information on NCAA March Madness Live, visit www.ncaa.com.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. All games open to legal residents of the 50 U.S. (or D.C.), 13 years or older. For more information including complete details and official rules for each game, visit www.enjoymoremadness.com.

 

About The Coca-Cola Company

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is the world’s largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with more than 500 sparkling and still brands. Led by Coca-Cola, the world’s most valuable brand, our Company’s portfolio features 15 billion dollar brands including Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Coca-Cola Zero, vitaminwater, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply, Georgia and Del Valle. Globally, we are the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages, ready-to-drink coffees, and juices and juice drinks. Through the world’s largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy our beverages at a rate of more than 1.7 billion servings a day. With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, our Company is focused on initiatives that reduce our environmental footprint, support active, healthy living, create a safe, inclusive work environment for our associates, and enhance the economic development of the communities where we operate. Together with our bottling partners, we rank among the world’s top 10 private employers with more than 700,000 system employees. For more information, please visit www.thecoca-colacompany.com or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/CocaColaCo.

 

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 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(r) 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 CBS Sports Network, a 24-hour national cable network; produces INSIDE THE NFL for SHOWTIME; and partners with CBSSports.com in creating a recognized leader among sports Internet destinations.

 

About the 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. The NCAA is proud to have the following elite companies as official Corporate Champions—AT&T, Capital One and Coca-Cola—and the following elite companies as official Corporate Partners—Buick, Enterprise, Infiniti, LG, Lowe’s, Northwestern Mutual, Reese’s (Hershey’s), Unilever, UPS and Wheat Thins (Kraft).

 

NCAA, Final Four, Selection Sunday, The Big Dance, Enjoy More Madness and March Madness are licensed by or trademarks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

 

For More Information, Please Contact: Kirsten Witt, Coca-Cola, 404-676-0314, kiwitt@coca-cola.com