NBA Sponsors Gearing Up For Start Of Anticipated '10-11 Season

By Terry Lefton, Editor-At-Large

Some of the NBA’s biggest sponsors are coalescing in support of this week’s season opening. Kia NBA Tip-Off '10 sees the carmaker advertising across TV, digital and social media platforms, and leveraging its 13 NBA team deals, all in support of its 2011 Optima midsize luxury sedan. Hewlett-Packard is activating at Office Depot stores in 15 cities with its "Make the Smart Play" sweepstakes, which offers a trip for four to the NBA All-Star Game, along with regular-season tickets and luxury suites as prizes. State Farm and Pepperidge Farm also have sweepstakes promos. Bacardi is staging an on-premise NBA activation across the country on Thursday nights. Telecom sponsor T-Mobile’s activation will start later this year as the sponsor for NBA All-Star Game balloting. "Obviously, there was a lot of noise during our offseason about the NBA -- maybe the most ever," said NBA Senior VP/Global Marketing Partnerships Emilio Collins. "Combine that with a very attractive All-Star Game market in L.A. and you’ve got a group of enthusiastic corporate partners." The ‘10-11 NBA season starts tomorrow on TNT, when the Heat and its new free-agent trio of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh visit the Celtics. ESPN’s NBA schedule begins with doubleheaders on Wednesday and Friday, highlighted by the Heat’s home opener against the Magic.