The NCAA men’s basketball tournament has spawned all kinds of bracketology ideas, including Adweek’s own March Adness. So, it’s no surprise that marketers are glomming onto the idea. The latest such effort is Coke Zero’s Brain Bracket, which sounds like a horrible disease but is actually an attempt to crowdsource the brand’s tie-in with this year’s tourney. (The winning idea gets $10,000.) The initial idea, explored in this commercial from Crispin Porter + Bogusky, is pretty lame, perhaps purposely so: a "mascot cam" inserted in North Carolina’s ram. North Carolina didn’t even make the tournament this year. It’s not the worst idea when he’s checking out some cheerleaders, I suppose, but it’s no Whopper Freakout. Speaking of which, you have perhaps the best creative agency in the U.S. on your roster and you’re asking consumers for your next big idea? What a waste. And here’s an idea for you, Coke Zero: How about a contest Web site that actually works?
—Posted by Todd Wasserman