• by Karl Greenberg , March 1, 2010

Infiniti is expanding its marketing relationship with men's college basketball by becoming "Official Corporate Partner" of the 2010 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship and CBS Sports."

The automaker says that as part of the program, it will create custom features to air during CBS sports broadcasts. The content wraps Infiniti branding around narratives about college basketball and coaching. The new agreement comes after Infiniti's recent multi-level sponsorships with ESPN, the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), the SEC (Southeastern Conference) and the Big Ten Conference. The company used that program, which it said was the largest to date, to support its Infiniti G sedan and coupe.

The automaker is using the association to promote its new Infiniti M sports sedan, which goes on sale on March 18. "This is our second year of involvement as a major sponsor of college sports through individual conference partnerships," said Ben Poore, VP of the Infiniti business unit, in a statement.

He said the automaker is sponsoring the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship because it's "the ideal showcase" for the broadcast debut of the Infiniti M and its tag line, "Inspiration changes the game." "The timing and synergy of the two events couldn't be better for the launch of the latest and most advanced addition to the Infiniti lineup," he said.

ESPN Mobile will run "Game of the Night" branding around the "Inspiring Coaches" video and text components. An Infiniti spokesperson says there is Infiniti branding at the beginning and end of each spot.

Infiniti is also sponsor of CBSSports.com's "Infiniti Bracket Challenge," which the network said attracted 1.1 million players last year. The winner of "CBSSports.com Bracket Challenge presented by Infiniti" gets a new 2011 Infiniti M. The company is also sponsoring NCAA.com's "March Madness on Demand" during the tournament.

Infiniti sales in January 2010 totaled 6,711 units, down 5.7% from the 7,115 in the same month in 2009. The company said sales of its G Coupe were up 20.3%, while the M -- at the end of its cycle -- was down about 26% versus the month in 2009.