The Portland Trail Blazers have unveiled a new ad campaign to introduce four of the team's newest players to local fans.
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Darius Miles gets ready for outdoor activities in new TV ad campaign. |
The campaign, dubbed "Trail Blazers Orientation," marks the club's latest effort to recast a franchise that has been plagued by steep financial losses and a series of off-the-court player problems, hurting the team's marketability.
The spots feature Darius Miles, Theo Ratliff, Dan Dickau and Shareef Abdur-Rahim, all of whom were added to the roster this season via trade. The campaign's 30-second commercials feature the players being introduced to all things Portland: Abdur-Rahim goes fly-fishing, Dickau goes mountain biking, Ratliff takes a tour of the city on a streetcar. The team has also two-minute spots for in-arena use.
Declan Bolger, chief marketing officer for the Blazers, would not disclose the cost of the campaign, which includes broadcast, print and radio components. The campaign began March 12 and will run through the summer.
The spots were created by Portland agency Nerve Inc.
"The campaign is a piece of a bigger picture," Bolger said. "[Team owner] Paul Allen said last April that enough is enough, and there have been a lot of changes made to the organization, and we've made some trades. We want to bring the city and the ball club closer, and it's tough having a relationship with the team if you don't know who the players are."
The Blazers' rebranding efforts began with the hiring last spring of Steve Patterson as team president. Since then, the franchise cut 80 members of its front-office staff, slashed player payroll, rolled out a 21-point pledge to fans and hired Nerve Inc. to change the team's image.
The new campaign marks Nerve's most visible effort during this time for the club.
The Blazers last year lost upwards of $100 million, mainly due to a bloated payroll. Average attendance at the Rose Garden has dropped 14 percent this season, to 16,441 as of March 15, compared to 19,136 at the same time last season.
With their revamped lineup, the Blazers are battling for the final NBA Western Conference playoff spot this season, but the campaign is not tied to any postseason marketing efforts.
"It's an aggressive campaign," Bolger said. "It will be in heavy rotation throughout the season and during our hopeful playoff run."
