Coke Zero Sugar is the official sponsor of March Madness, a seven round, single-elimination tournament for men’s and women’s collegiate basketball teams. We were tasked with creating a series of films that highlight fandom in a way that felt authentic to the game yet attention-grabbing enough to break through the crowded March Madness space. It was important to create work that could evolve with the tournament to remain culturally relevant and avoid audience fatigue.

The film was made within the “Fan Work is Thirsty Work” platform. The tagline celebrates the exhausting passion, effort, and creativity fans bring to every game, and every free throw, serving as a reminder that Coke Zero Sugar’s irresistible taste is there to keep fans refreshed throughout the marathon that is March Madness.

Our goal was to find a song that speaks to the spirit of fans psyching out their opponents. We wanted the music to take the place of VO and emphasize the drama that fans bring to the tournament. We searched for songs that hit on these themes and "I Put a Spell on You" fit perfectly. To increase the drama even more, we created a cover of the song with hard hitting percussion, trailer-esque horn hits, and modernized but still taunting vocals. This was all expertly crafted to make sure music supported every piece of our story. We were careful to score the adlibs to the fans actions, hit horn flourishes when we see the marching band, and make that final "scream" the perfect way to leave fans energized and ready to go to battle for their teams. The music tells the story just as much as the visuals here.