The Cavaliers' roster features players from Australia, Brazil, Canada and Russia, and the team with the help of two branding agencies is poised to turn its "international reach into lucrative partnerships," according to Kevin Kleps of CRAIN'S CLEVELAND BUSINESS. The Cavs have "focused some of their efforts on Australia, China, Russia, Thailand and other countries in which their research shows they have a sizable audience." Cavaliers Senior VP & CRO Brad Sims: "We have a finite number of seats in the building, 20,562. We have a finite number of suites. The only way you can move the needle there ultimately is with pricing. But with partnerships, I like to say there’s infinite opportunity. It really comes down to how creative you can get." With Cavaliers G Matthew Dellavedova hailing from Australia, Kleps notes the Cavs on Jan. 25 "will celebrate Australia Day at The Q." Property Consulting Group co-Founder Dan Migala, whose Chicago-based company is "working with the Cavs on establishing partnerships with Australian companies, expects 'Thanksgiving-like viewership' for a game that will be televised throughout the country." The Cavs "will have unique in-arena elements during the Australia Day game, and PCG is attempting to sell a partnership to pair with each promotion, in addition to signage that will be visible to the Aussies watching." Two weeks later, on Feb. 8, the Cavs "will ring in the Chinese New Year with another Monday night game." The Cavaliers last June announced they had hired ESP Properties and Property Consulting Group "to help maximize the franchise brand outside North America." ESP is "shopping the Cavs’ brand in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and South America," while PCG is "focused entirely on Australia, which has the largest total of NBA League Pass downloads" outside the U.S. NBA rules prevent teams from "using their brand marks outside a 75-mile radius" of their HQ. But Sims said that they are "hoping some of the restrictions will be relaxed within the next year" (CRAIN'S CLEVELAND BUSINESS, 9/28 issue).
