Whilst the league usually spends December marketing its Christmas Day line-up of blockbuster match-ups, late 2020 saw the NBA focus on promoting its late-starting season with a campaign called ‘Only Here’.
The work is inspired by and features real fans sharing what it is that unique and exciting about the NBA this season and creative includes game highlights, thrilling rivalries, spectacular gameplay, drama and swagger – and claims this combination can only be found in the NBA.
The league appointed WPP’s Cartwright and IPG’s Mediahub to handle creative and media duties respectively for the upcoming season and the new campaign is led by a pair of hero two running across TV, digital and social platforms and airing globally in 10 languages (and modified by market to feature locally-relevant players).
Content is linked via the campaign hashtags #OnlyHere #KiaTipOff20.
Promoting its 22 December opener in particular and the new season in general, the campaign launched on 10 December with a commercial called ‘Kia Tip Off 2020’ which featured a voiceover from 2020 NBA champion and seven-time All-Star Anthony Davis of the LA Lakers.
This was followed for days later by a new spot called ‘Holiday Basketball 2020’ which also promotes the opening game and the rest of the season which runs on a cabal of broadcasters led by ABC, ESPN, TNT and NBATV.
Comment:
The festive season is usually time for US sports fans to focus on the NBA’s blockbuster Christmas Day games as the league typically dominates the festive sports schedule.
But this strange 2020 year saw basketball forced to compete with American sports juggernaut NFL which also scheduled games on the big day.
Previous famous and award winning NBA Christmas spots have included 2019’s ‘Ballin In A Christmas Wonderland’ (see case study), 2019’s ‘Lights Up’ and 2018’s ‘Young Nick (see case study), 2017’s ‘Commissioner Claus’ (see case study), 2016’s ‘Most Dunktastic Time Of The Year’ (see case study), 2015’s ‘NBA Signs Santa’ (see case study), 2013’s brilliant ‘Jingle Hoops’
and 2012’s ‘Big Color’.
Links:
NBA
Cartwright
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