Promo - February 2008 - (Page 23)

The Players A panel of judges —including NBA star Kobe Bryant (far right)—presents scores during last year’s Sprite Slam Dunk competition. iting participation of all ages. “We think it’s a way to engage all of our fans in a more meaningful way by having them actually decide the outcome [of the slam-dunk competition].” T-Mobile, title sponsor of the Rookie Challenge and Youth Jam, is inviting 5,000 young students to attend that Friday night event. Those students, 6th through 8th graders, will qualify for the best seats in the arena as “T-Mobile HuddleUp All Stars” by completing reading and attendance requirements at their respective schools. They’ll watch a squad of rookies compete against a team of second-year players in a game showcasing the league’s next generation of star talent. The finals and semi-finals of the 64-team Gatorade Invitational for boys and girls will be held on center court at the Jam Session. Virtual fans will be able to observe the finals of the EA Sports’ NBA Live ’08 Challenge in that venue, along with a separate tournament of 128 New Orleans video game players. Sony PlayStation will sponsor the PlayStation Skills Challenge, a real dribble, pass and shoot competition among All-Stars, on what’s billed as All-Star Saturday night. All of the competition events leading up to the All-Star Game have title sponsorships. Haier sponsors the Shooting Stars–pitting stars and exstars shooting against each other–and Foot Locker sponsors the Three-Point Shootout on Saturday, when the Sprite Slam Dunk also takes place. McDonald’s sponsors the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game. Toyota is presenting sponsor for the All-Star Practice on Saturday afternoon. The competitive events are televised on TNT. So the NBA has succeeded in selling sponsorships to advertisers and the events themselves to the networks and the fans. Wrigley’s, another new league All-Star partner, sponsors the league’s traveling NBA Jam Van exhibit, which will make 10 stops at locations in and around the Big Easy in the run-up to the game. The Jam Van is part of the promotional routine for the NBA. But there is nothing routine about the proactive support the NBA and its sponsors are showing for the city. Since Katrina hit at the tail end of the summer of 2005, players from visiting NBA teams have been involved in a number of Crescent City philanthropic efforts along with members of the hometown Hornets. The league has previously executed what it calls “legacy” projects in All-Star cities, single projects similar to those in New Orleans. NBA Cares is the league’s community outreach arm that gets involved in a myriad of social support projects in franchise markets. But in New Orleans, the NBA seems to be taking its social promotional game to another level. “Giving back is in our DNA,” sums up Tatum. “NBA Cares is a huge focus for us.” l P W For more articles on experiential marketing, go to http://promomagazine.com/eventmarketing/ Newsletter Web RSS Webinar Conference Podcast Promo / WWW.PROMOMAGAZINE.COM / February 2008 23 http://promomagazine.com/eventmarketing/ http://www.promomagazine.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Promo - February 2008

Promo - February 2008 Contents Editor's Note Reality TV Products Rebound - Soon? The Real World Young But Not Stupid Social Tease Health Quencher How Effective? Big Game in Big Easy Commentary Mailbox Marketing Q&A: Coke's Kruse Control Gift-Card Monte Room Service The Agency Center Resource Center Can't Beat Loyalty Index of Advertisers

Promo - February 2008

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