When Kenyatta Bynoe joined Spalding as its VP/Global Marketing & Partnerships after a stint with Fiat, she found an operation that was not as consistent as it could be when it came to marketing strategies and investment. “We were relying on our partnership with the NBA to sort of carry our message,” she said during a “Brand Showcase” presentation on Day 1 of the '17 Intersport Brand Engagement Summit. “And some of our research told us that consumers knew us, they respected us, but they didn’t necessarily have an emotional connection with the brand.” Creating that connection became the goal for Bynoe’s marketing group, and that included taking a hard look at the company’s tagline, “True To The Game.” “Consumers didn’t necessarily know what that meant,” she said. “We hadn’t really defined it for them. So we thought about: What is it that we want consumers to take away? And, ultimately, it was wanting our brand to be associated with the work that goes into the game of basketball, as opposed to the hype that surrounds it. We really wanted to be here for that athlete who wants to get better. Who wants to work hard. Who wants to do whatever they need to do to elevate their game. Ultimately, our goal is to build a global tribe of consumers, or true believers, people who are actively engaged with our brand.”
TELLING A STORY: The direction that Bynoe and her group took was to focus on storytelling, with four key elements: “First is building an emotional connection or striking an emotional chord,” she said. “Secondly, authenticity is key. We must remain true to who we are as a brand, and everything that we do must convey that. The third thing is consistency. Whether it’s a print ad or a social media campaign, it needs to consistently convey our message across all channels. Finally, the most important thing is giving consumers something that they value ... something that is going to enhance their life.” Bynoe shared videos of some of Spalding’s best creative, including “The Beat of True Believers,” featuring Trail Blazers G Damian Lillard in a spot that uses his heartbeat as an essential element of the ad.
