Crazy on the Quad: WCW and partners take the ring on the road.
Looking to pile-drive, body-slam, and suplex college students into a frenzy, Turner Network Television this month takes its highly successful WCW Monday Night Live! wrestling franchise back to school.
The WCW Spring Break-Out 2000 tour will stop at Ohio State University, Duke University, Brown University, and Florida State University before wrapping up March 27 witha live Live! broadcast in South Padre Island, TX. Students on each campus do their best imitations of popular wrestlers Sting, Goldberg, Sid Vicious, and Bret Hart by competing in Campus Clash activities – human bowling, jousting, rock-climbing, bungee runs, Velcro races – for various prizes and trips to the South Padre event.
Highlight clips from Clash festivities will air on Live! episodes between Feb. 28 and March 20. A handful of WCW’s buff wrestlers and firm Nitro girls will be on hand to judge the competitions. The wrestlers will also make appearances at local children’s hospitals. TNT is donating $3,000 to a campus-approved charity at each stop.
This is the fourth straight year TNT has taken its WCW brand to college campuses. Piggybacking this year’s tour are Miami-based prepaid cellular service seller Topp Telecom and Liberty Corner, NJ-based Schering-Plough Healthcare Products.
Topp Telecom is on hand to promote Tracfone, a national pay-as-you-go cellular phone service that doesn’t require credit checks or contracts. That hook makes “the college demographic a great prospect,” says director of marketing Maurice Contreras.
The company is distributing logoed Frisbees, insulated cups (perfect for that relaxing, mid-afternoon brew), service brochures, and rebate coupons good for $30 off a phone purchase. Students are also invited inside the Phone Bank, a sampling tent where they can call Mom (or their bookie) via Tracfone.
Schering-Plough joins the mix to promote its Tinactin over-the-counter fungal fighter. The brand will set up its own tent to hand out samples, premiums, and tickets to local football games.
Both partners will advertise during WCW programming and have their logos plastered on the exterior of the WCW bus swinging into campuses.
WCW owner Turner Broadcasting System, Atlanta, last month announced a plan to enhance its relationships with marketers by offering integrated ad packages combining its on-air, online (wcw.com), and print (WCW magazine) properties.
