Early February saw NBA partner Foot Locker roll out a new campaign strategically themed around the 2014 All-Star Weekend and led by a TV spot called ‘Disguise’.
The humorous US athletic equipment retailer’s new commercial is fronted by NBA stars James Harden and Anthony Davis. It revolves around Harden devising a secret plan to repeatedly go to Foot Locker throughout February to buy the best new gear without being recognised.
His plan revolves around fellow player Davis’ best known feature – his unibrow.
The BBDO created spot, which runs under Foot Locker’s ongoing ‘Approved’ marketing concept, aims to drive awareness that Foot Locker is the place to find the best new on and off-court basketball styles.
‘James Harden’s style is synonymous with the “Approved” gear we know guys are looking forward to at Foot Locker in February,’ says Foot Locker EVP marketing Stacy Cunningham.
This is Harden’s fifth Foot Locker commercial and reinforces the fact that February has become the key launch period for new basketball lines.
‘Foot Locker does a great job of showcasing my unique style and sense of humor in their ad campaigns,’ add Harden. ‘I’ve really enjoyed collaborating on another great spot that will resonate with fans.’
The TVC, plus the campaign’s social strands revolving around #Approved and #MustBeFebruary, is part of the build up to the annual 2014 NBA All-Star Weekend which has seen February become the hottest month of the year for new sneaker releases
The work also trumpets the launch of a new digital Foot Locker/NBA platform in conjunction with several basketball footwear brands.
The new ‘Kicks of All-Star’ initiative aims to capture and aggregate the unique sneakers that players are wearing – many of which are unveiled at the All-Star Weekend – on a dedicated section of NBA.com site.
Whilst this doesn’t form the NBA primary All-Star marketing push, the league is promoting the new Foot Locker led campaign to its huge, 500 million strong social media community spanning its own league, team and player pages across NBA TV, NBA.com and all relevant social media platforms.
With the NBA All-Star programme popular among the most ardent of sneaker/trainer junkies, it provides an ideal platform to launch new shoes and give basketball fans and sneaker consumers a rich supply of content and information relating to players’ new sneakers.
This can primarily be accessed across Facebook, twitter and Instagram via the hashtag #AllStarKicks.
‘Our customers have such a passion and excitement for sneakers. That excitement is heightened leading up to NBA All-Star in anticipation of the hottest sneaker launches as well as the unveiling of the newest styles worn by the players,’ Foot Locker EVP marketing Stacy Cunningham.
‘We want to provide fans the opportunity to share that passion and engage with one another by using the hashtag #AllStarKicks within their social channels.’
