The NBA’s all-inclusive new ad campaign

Fancy yourself a basketball fan? Well, the NBA certainly does as the multibillion dollar company recently signed a lucrative media deal that increases its budget for marketing to target casual fans.

The new campaign, which made its debut on October 12, was inked by Pam El, the NBA’s newly-instated chief marketing officer and centers itself around themes of involving everyone. Called “Everybody Up,” the campaign aims to bring together anyone even remotely interested in the sport, and to help do that, the company has reached out to new networks to air their commercials. Previously, the NBA held its early-season commercials to TNT and ESPN only, the two companies most of their games appear on during the season, but now, commercials will also air on BET, CNN, VH1, TBS, and other unnamed ones.

The commercial that went live October 12 was called “Roll Call,” and it persuades any fan of the sport to get ready for the upcoming season — no matter their location, appearance, age, etc. The commercial depicts many different type of people and places — from Mexico City to London, from cheerleaders to players, coaches, and fans alike — coming together to enjoy the sport.

This commercial sends a clear message, one that the NBA has made in the past: it is a family-friendly company welcoming of everyone, no matter what uncontrollable characteristics are part of them. For example, years ago, the NBA launched a similar ad campaign reprimanding those who use slurs when referring to gay people after some of its players were caught using them. Unlike the NFL, which is known for having many anti-gay players who have no qualms about using slurs in locker rooms, the NBA shows more tolerance.

This raises questions as to why the sports world is against homosexuality, but the NBA’s last and recent campaign has shown the company is open-minded compared to its football counterpart. My questions are: should other giant sports companies launch similar campaigns even if it would displease some of its players and fans? Do you think these types of campaigns are useful when it comes to showing open-mindedness, or are they tacky and forced? Why or why not?

Sources:

http://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/nba-s-marketing-aggressive-cmo/295354/
http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Daily/Morning-Buzz/2014/10/10/nba-ads.aspx