But now enter the age of ‘ambush marketing’. Why spend millions when you can live on the social fringes and leech some exposure for mere pennies on the sponsorship dollar?

USA Today reports about how some marketers are playing it smart and keeping sponsorship money in their bank accounts.

Savvy marketers are finding low-budget ways to digitally link their brands with the upcoming college basketball championship, but without paying huge ad or sponsorship fees.

In basketball, they call it the trick shot.

In marketing, they call it the ambush.

Even with March Madness — the National Collegiate Athletic Association Men’s Basketball Championship — just getting under way, several savvy marketers already are trying to get a digital piece of it without the huge expense of sponsorship or in-game advertising.

Such familiar brands as Pizza Hut, Hormel’s Spam and even the Hooters chain are trying to link with the social and cultural buzz of the tournament — but are carefully stepping around any legal issues by avoiding the use of trademarked terms such as “March Madness” or “Final Four” in their marketing

Not sure if this is clever or dumb of them.