Celebrity Names: Andraya Carter, Richard Jefferson, Breanna Stewart, Tyrese Haliburton
Brand Name: Reese’s
Deal Type: Brand Partnership / Spokesperson Campaign
Announced: March 19, 2026
Impact: Deepens Reese’s long-running NCAA and March Madness presence, taps both women’s and men’s basketball audiences, and further cements Stewart and her co-stars as go-to faces for sports-meets-pop-culture campaigns
- Reese’s launched “Every Bracket Busts for a Reese’s” on March 19, 2026, a fan sweepstakes tied to the NCAA March Madness tournament.
- Andraya Carter, Richard Jefferson, and Breanna Stewart headlined a closed-door Bracket Summit for Reese’s, building and sharing their tournament picks, with NBA All-Star Tyrese Haliburton dropping in virtually to discuss brackets and predictions.
- Breanna Stewart (3x WNBA Champion, 2x WNBA MVP, and Olympic Gold Medalist) called herself a longtime Reese’s superfan, endorsing the campaign’s core message: bracket chaos is part of the fun, and now it comes with a reward.
- The campaign extends Reese’s growing cross-sport athlete strategy, which previously featured Alex Morgan, Paige Bueckers, and Keon Coleman, continuing to bridge men’s and women’s sports in a single activation.
Reese’s kicked off March Madness 2026 with a closed-door Bracket Summit featuring basketball stars Andraya Carter, Richard Jefferson, and Breanna Stewart. The brand’s new campaign, “Every Bracket Busts for a Reese’s,” is turning one of sports’ most frustrating traditions into a reward.
The program invites fans to post their busted brackets on social media, tag and follow @Reeses, and use #ForAReesesSweeps for a chance to win Reese’s cups or tickets to the NCAA Men’s or Women’s Final Four and championship games.
NBA All-Star Tyrese Haliburton also joined the Summit virtually, discussing his picks and predictions alongside the group, and picking Iowa State to win it all.
Breanna Stewart (a 3x WNBA Champion, 2x WNBA MVP, Olympic Gold Medalist) who has been building her brand ambassador portfolio steadily, brought extra weight to the campaign as its most decorated voice.
Stewart called herself a longtime Reese’s fan, saying that when picks go sideways, sharing a busted bracket for a shot at the Final Four is a great way to celebrate the chaos.
For Richard Jefferson, a 17-year NBA veteran and current ESPN analyst, and Andraya Carter, a rising college basketball voice also on ESPN, the campaign puts two of the sport’s most visible commentators front and center at the height of the college hoops season.
The activation joins a growing wave of athlete-led March Madness brand plays, similar to how GEICO activated Azzi Fudd, Trey McKenney, and Napheesa Collier around the tournament.
This campaign continues Reese’s tradition of pairing men’s and women’s sports figures within a single campaign, previously building around names like Alex Morgan, Paige Bueckers, and Keon Coleman.
Takeaways
Reese’s didn’t just build a March Madness ad, they built a participation mechanic. By making the inevitable (a busted bracket) the entry point for a reward, the brand removes the sting of being wrong and replaces it with a reason to engage. It’s a smart pivot away from “root for your team” toward “celebrate your chaos,” and the athlete lineup makes it feel authentic rather than transactional.
Stewart’s involvement is particularly significant. She’s not just a decorated athlete, she’s an entrepreneur and league co-founder who has been selective with her brand partnerships. Her vocal endorsement carries real cultural weight at a time when women’s sports sponsorships are at an all-time high.
As Reese’s grows its cross-sport athlete roster, which brand vertical (snacks, apparel, fintech) do you think will become the dominant player in women’s sports sponsorship by 2027? Which voice pulls you in more for a campaign like this: an analyst like Andraya Carter, a vet like Richard Jefferson, or a current star like Tyrese Haliburton?
