Mid September saw the NBA Champion Golden State Warriors roll out a campaign promoting its new three-year patch partnership with Japanese e-commerce company Rakuten – a reported to be worth $20m per year.
The jersey sponsorship was announced at a live event (live streamed socially by the sponsor on Facebook)
and then promoted by the rights-holder through a pair of digital spots: one focused on the team’s new Nike jersey design complete with Rakuten logo,
and the other spot called ‘Warriors-Rakuten: Believe in the Future’ explores the nature of the tie-up and the synergies between sponsor and sports team.
This online video also sees Warriors President and COO Rick Welts and Rakuten CEO Hiroshi ‘Mickey’ Mikitani discuss their vision of the partnership.
The announcement was also amplified across both rights-holder and sponsor digital and social channels.
Proud to welcome @rakutentoday to the #Warriors family! #WarriorsRakuten #StrengthInNumbers pic.twitter.com/jBrXaFFH8M
— GoldenStateWarriors (@warriors) September 12, 2017
If you didn't already know: Rakuten’s new golden partnership. Excited to be joining the @Warriors family. #WarriorsRakuten #DubNation pic.twitter.com/FjRqlDZoBV
— Rakuten.com (@RakutenUS) September 12, 2017
This deal is actually more than just a patch partnership as it spans three additional sponsor silos and sees Rakuten become the Official E-Commerce Partner, Official Video-On-Demand Partner and Official Affiliate Marketing Partner of the Warriors.
Comment:
Whilst this $60m deal is double the size of the previous highest patch partnership deal between the Cleveland Cavaliers and local tire giant Goodyear, but as the Warriors/Rakuten tie-up is more than just a jersey logo deal it may not be a fair comparison.
As the Warriors are the basketball team closest to Silicon Valley there is a tech sector synergy to the Rakuten deal.
But what is particularly interesting from an NBA perspective is that this alliance if the league’s first genuinely globally driven jersey sponsorship deal.
But by partnering with a Japanese e-commerce company, the Warriors are demonstrating that both they and the NBA are a global property.
This deal stands in marked contrast to the drivers behind the other 13 teams that have already penned patch partnerships as these have largely been with US brands with local market synergies (such as headquarters) and thus based on domestic strategies: Atlanta Hawks/Sharecare (see case study), Philadelphia 76ers/StubHub (see case study), Boston Celtics/General Electric, Sacramento Kings/Blue Diamond Growers, Orlando Magic/Disney (see case study), Cleveland Cavaliers/Goodyear (see case study), Milwaukee Bucks/Harley Davidson (see case study), Minnesota Timberwolves/Fitbit, Utah Jazz/Qualtrics, Brooklyn Nets/Infor, Toronto Raptors/Sun Life Assurance Company, Detroit Pistons/Flagstar Bank and the Denver Nuggets/Western Union.
While for Rakuten, this new hoops sponsorship shows a serious strategic investment in global sports sponsorship as it follows hot-on-the-heels of its recent deal with football giant FC Barcelona.
"We don’t see this relationship as a sponsorship, but rather a partnership"|Read how Rakuten + FCB= global brand https://t.co/9iZOfdkJTu pic.twitter.com/gyfqHFRWCj
— Rakuten.com (@RakutenUS) September 7, 2017
El Barça presenta su tercera equipación para esta temporada. De color granate, fruto del acuerdo con Rakuten. #FCBlive. pic.twitter.com/tOGOz5RCVQ
— Aleix García (@AleixG7) September 12, 2017
Links:
Golden State Warriors
https://www.facebook.com/warriors/
https://www.instagram.com/warriors
Rakuten
https://www.facebook.com/RakutenUS
https://www.instagram.com/rakutenus
