NBA sponsors this week are shifting activation from the recently completed NBA Finals to the NBA draft set for Thursday at the Barclays Center.
Heavy activation comes from State Farm, which again is the presenting partner of draft. State Farm has created a program during draft night within the Barclays Center concourse that allows fans to act as a NBA general manager and answer a series of questions. If their answers combine to form the “right combination,” fans can open a locker and win NBA-themed prizes, including Tissot watches and JBL headphones that drafted players also receive.
State Farm also will debut a vignette series highlighting draftees Josh Jackson, Markelle Fultz and Jayson Tatum, to be posted on NBA.com and other league social media channels.
Other activations highlights include:
■ Foot Locker is releasing a TV commercial featuring four 2017 draftees: Lonzo Ball, De’Aaron Fox, Jonathan Isaac and Tatum. The spot will air during draft coverage on ESPN.
■ New Era is unveiling an NBA draft cap to be given to drafted players. The company will have product placement at the Barclays Center, including the first green room pedestal from which players will take the cap when their names are called.
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| New Era is introducing an NBA draft cap for drafted players. |
■ Tissot will release through NBA Instagram channels videos featuring expected top draft picks. The company will also showcase custom team watches given to each first-round draftee, and will host a gifting suite ahead of the draft.
■ Cisco will host TelePresence interviews with draft picks for international media in several cities.
■ FanDuel will host winners of the FanDuel NBA Draft Challenge contest and winners of the WNBA Official Game Challenge at the draft.
■ Jack Daniel’s will host a private Jack’s House Party in Brooklyn on June 28-29 to highlight the end of the season.
■ ExxonMobil will be have a VIP hospitality program for customers, distributors and business partners in suites on draft night.
■ Verizon, an associate partner of the draft, will activate on the Barclays Center concourse. Fans who switch or upgrade their service plan can receive a customized Spalding phone case.
■ Mountain Dew will promote its Dew NBA 3X tour at the Barclays Center. The Dew NBA 3X tour will be at Brooklyn Bridge Park on Saturday and Sunday.
