the elevator pitch

Sporting events call for high global exposure. Each high-profile professional league, be it the Champions League, the UFC or in this case the NBA, looks for angles to play and ways to draw the audience beyond the actual event happening right before their eyes. As avid sports fans here at the Elevator Pitch, we’ve noticed some of the interesting tactics the NBA has been using throughout this year’s playoffs. In a joint effort with TNT, ESPN and ABC, the NBA has been on a basketball marketing rampage of late pushing everything from G (formerly known as Gatorade) to video games. This is a great way to show the potential of cross market promotion with regards to major events.

Here are some companies that are taking full advantage of the NBA Playoffs and how their campaigns are targeting the correct audiences:

G (Formerly Gatorade) went through a slight rebrand earlier this year. Instead of using the infamous Gatorade, the sports drink shortened their title simply to G. In doing so they decided to showcase all of the athletes / driven people they endorse and they’ve been using the NBA Playoffs as a place to show off their roster.

Nike – In a Jim Henson inspired concept, Nike created LeBron and Kobe puppets to strengthen their brand. These puppets have become so popular that they are making cameo appearances on Sportscenter. Nike not only knows their audience, they know how to communicate with them and what types of characters are the best fit to do so. If only LeBron made the finals…

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare 2 – This was a bit of an interesting ad to run during the playoffs. It seems game developers Activision also know their audience quite well as they’ve been plugging a game that won’t even hit stores until November. The bottom line is that many NBA fans are at the very least aware of the game franchise, so exposing the latest through a highly watched event is a very keen move.

Video games, sports drinks and athletic shoes aside, the NBA Playoffs are tearing up the sports networks with the sheer drama already instilled. Leave it to companies like Nike, Activision and G to take advantage.

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