The NBA, NCAA, FIBA and the Basketball Super League (BSL) here in Turkey have all been trailblazers when it comes to connecting brands to fans through digital engagement.
This week I will be speaking at the International Sports Convention in Geneva and sharing best practices for commercialising basketball on a global level. Ahead of that I thought I would share three of the best activations I have seen from brands connected to the sport.
NBA fans were given the chance to get a photo with then-New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony through a digital free-throw game created by Kumho ahead of the 2015 All-Star Match. Placed in New York City's Times Square subway station, commuters shot Kumho tyres through the hoop before capturing a photo of themselves with the 10-time NBA All-Star and sharing on social media.
According to AdWeek the New York subway has over 5.5m riders a day, giving Kumho's brand a huge presence and one of the most talked about social and digital activations during the entire All-Star weekend.
The Final Four is the biggest weekend in the NCAA basketball season and electronics company LG took full advantage of the fans travelling to Phoenix for the 2017 edition. They created three digital activations, including a head-to-head shootout where competitors took turns shooting laundry from random LED marked hotspots into an LG Twin Wash washing machine. This was supplemented by a gesture and motion-tracking slam-dunk game and a giant video wall that delivered multiple data streams from all games.
Approximately 5,000 fans participated and LG registered over 4,000 names. The concept rightfully won a Bronze Trophy at the Experience Design & Technology Awards.
American Express used its presence at the NBA House during the 2015 All-Star weekend to push their PIVOT strategy of incorporating digital technology into sports events to deepen fan engagement.
Fans were offered a closer look at the signature moves of four NBA stars via wraparound cameras.
The technology allowed fans to pivot around the player on 103-inch screens, taking in their passes, dunks and drives from all angles.
These are just three examples of brands utilising digital's huge potential to deeply engage and reach fans. Read more about how Infront is helping brands leverage the BSL as an ideal marketing platform to reach their consumers in Turkey.