As the NHL and the NB.move toward their All-Sta.showcases (we will do the NHL wrapu.next week) we wanted t.look at the NBA PR push over the last few weeks that is hitting on all areas “away from the game”…player development, new media, international growth, charity activation.athlete features, product marketing and integration…at a critical time as brands and fan.look for even more ROI. Now it's not to say that market-by-market there are not bumps in the road, but in the macro, from Portland's resurgence marketing their young player.to the Nets pushing their brand activations and fan friendly programs, t.Boston's resurgence at the box office and on the court,
The Sport in Macro: …Charles Eushner's cover story in the new magazine Americanwhy the NBA (not basketball) can legitimately challenge soccer for the top sport world wide.
Global Expansion:Michael de la Mersed's piece in the New York Times detailing Disney's plan to but a stake in NBA Chin.Sportsbusiness.com's piece on NBA grassroots expansion into India.are great recent examples.
Player Development:blogs on nba.com by commissioner Dan Reed, or local media coverage (both in current markets or in potential markets like Maine or Ontario), has been outstanding. Lay on top the four page piece by Ian Thomson this week in Sports Illustrated and an extensive piece on the league in the Oregonian, and all the message.for why the D-League makes sense are all there for fans, media and potential business partners.
New Media:very unique and highly effective ones themselves, whether it is viral video by Chris Bosh and Steve Nash (highlighted in an earlier entry and in the Wall Street Journal), the unique new look and content of the Phoenix Suns vaultblogs by athletes like the Wizards Gilbert Arenas.?The Atlanta Journal Constitution piece on the NBA's partnership with Turner Sports for web and tv content also gained critical business coverage in a key growth area.
Media Partnerships:Orlando Sentinel has a piece on the ESPN-NBA RV that is starting its trek and is a key element of the promotional campaign that has featured athletes and coaches in some very humorous slice of life spots to promote tune-in over the first part of the season.?The campaign is a perfect way to bring a media partnership to life by using all elements…digitial, physical activation, humor, personality, print, outdoor media…to make it a success.like LeBron James’ Yankees shoe, the NBA is finding ways to remain relevant and important to all audiences in a very competitive marketplace at a time whe.it could be very easy to stay the course. The cohensive and all encompassing efforts are certainly worthy of recognition by all involved.
