If you have a tablet around an NBA team, it better be a Samsung. TV’s, Galaxies, flat screen monitors, get out of the way Apple and Microsoft, one of the world’s biggest investors in sports marketing just got deeper in the pool last week. Samsung Electronics will be wall to wall on NBA broadcasts and events, from Las Vegas Summer League through the Finals. Every referee will get a Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet for rewatching plays at halftime and between games, and the league will use Samsung technology for reviewing calls courtside during games.
Now what does all that mean other than a mega-TV buy? Will we see Greg Popovich or Tom Thibodeau reaching for the tablet instead of the clipboard to pull real time video married to stats soon? Not likely but it’s a big bold start to partner with a league that has thrust itself into the forefront in data analytics use in the last few months, from adding biomechanical devices to measure athletic output to putting motion sensitive cameras around key arenas to collect even more data married to performance. But holograms replacing clipboards during a time out? Not yet. In many ways the deal is not dissimilar from the ones cut by Microsoft with the NFL and MLS this past summer. Those involve more signage and sport-specific spots highlighting athlete personalities and brands than technology thus far, especially since the Microsoft phone is nowhere near the penetration level of the American consumer that Apple or Samsung are to date.
The other big issue is connectivity. While the technology exists, and MLB uses behind the scenes with some partners, to marry data and video together almost in real time, the signal levels in most arenas are still in the dark ages, and to be able to use courtside wireless technology during play, both sides have to have equal consistent signals and the signal has to be consistent in every arena throughout the league. Many arenas are updating and adding better download speed not just for teams but for consumer engagement, but consistency is still years away.
For now, the initial goal is to make the Samsung brand ubiquitous with the global NBA brand. Get the tablets and phones in the hands, reinforce it with some low hanging practical engagement, even if the engagement is hard wired vs. wireless, and then continue to activate and promote to the millions of NBA fans around the world that Samsung is the “Must have” for basketball engagement.
This new Samsung barrage is not the first, but it is easily the most extensive partnership for the brand and the NBA. Last year, Jesse Williams popped up on ABC with a microphone in one hand and a Galaxy smartphone in the other, telling viewers to check out his sideline pictures. During halftime of Game five, they aired a three-minute ad to tease its release of Jay-Z’s new album and have steadily incorporated players into their promotions as one-off’s.
The biggest opportunity outside of sales will be in mobile engagement down the road. As teams look to improve the in-game experience and engage with fans minute by minute as they are at a game or crowd-source the likes/dislikes of a particular section, or fill distressed seats at a moment’s notice, Samsung can help provide the solution. As teams use more technology to evaluate talent, Samsung should be the answer. As TV’s themselves become more data-friendly, Samsung units can provide advanced analytics and promotions during NBA Games that competitors will not be able to.
So yes, right now the goal is Samsung brand everywhere in the traditional sense…signage and advertising and promotions. In the near future, it will be more about portability, mobility and analytics. Is it a gamble? For the short term not really, and it serves as a preemptive strike to lock down hoops while competitors focus elsewhere. The NBA’s ability to transcend borders also gives Samsung a strategic global leg up as well against other sports, and helps support in some ways what they do in other sports like soccer around the world. The calculated rick lies in the next step…can arenas align properly, can teams get coaches to engage, and will fans migrate to a Samsung device after years of apple happiness.
If you are going to out a stake in the ground in pro sports, especially winter sports, hoops is the right place, and for the NBA and Samsung, it seems like a smart partnership that can grow and lift both brands.
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