What if Packer could seed the past 60 NCAA champs, plus four wild cards, and the winners faced off in a fantasy contest mirroring the NCAA basketball playoffs? What if Chevrolet and Sports Illustrated kicked in prizes for fans, including two 1999 Chevy Silverados and a dream trip?
Contest finalists who match Packer's picks would compete to win a Silverado and a trip for two to next year's Final Four games. The winning NCAA school also would receive a scholarship donation and a Silverado decked out in its school colors.
Fantasy became reality on March 3 when Chevy and Packer announced "The Truck, the Tournament" contest, which was to culminate with Packer's announcement of the winner on March 28.
The cost to Chevy: $3 million.
"It's one of the biggest and most integrated promotions we've done - integrated in partnerships, media, public relations activities and aggressive relationships with universities," says Silverado Brand Manager Rick Scheidt. For its $3 million, Chevy gets Sports Illustrated insertions, TV and radio spots, Internet exposure, and, according to Scheidt: "dream exposure before millions of NCAA
