What’s all that bracket? Cue March Madness!

March Madness is on, creating a ripple of fervor among college-basketball-starved fans. The event was one of the first few of the year to have in-person viewing (up to 25% capacity). Similar to the NBA bubble in 2020, all games are being held entirely in Indiana to avoid the need for travel and subsequent exposure.

Let’s dive into the category and brand-level performance of the ads featured during the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament.

Insurance wins hands down

In the Sweet 16 rounds of March Madness, the insurance category sees the highest spend by industry, followed by the restaurant industry and food & beverage.

Progressive hits a buzzer-beater, displacing GEICO as top spender

Progressive spent about $866K during the Sweet 16 round of the tournament, just taking the lead from GEICO who came in at ~$769K.

Final scores and spends will be in after the ‘Final Four’ in the next few days. Stay tuned for the naming of the MVPs by total ad spend.

Take a look at the results of the following bracket, the Elite Eight here.