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State Farm has another TV spot in the Chris Paul “assist” series, and FanDuel is awarding trips to the NBA Finals.
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With a variety of basketball-themed TV ads now airing during the NBA playoffs, league officials are lauding activation from the association’s corporate sponsors.
New ads from sponsors include first-year partner Kaiser Permanente’s ad with Stephen Curry. There’s also another in the Chris Paul series from State Farm Insurance; themed creative for Kia with Blake Griffin; an American Express/BBVA spot for its new
credit card; and ads for Gatorade with Jabari Parker and Sprint with Kevin Durant, among others.
“With our content, our partners are activating more than ever,” said Kerry Tatlock, NBA senior vice president, global marketing partnerships.
Universal’s “Pitch Perfect 2” film is tying to the playoffs with ad buys and integration on broadcast openings. As the postseason progresses, similar programs will back Warner Bros.’ “Mad Max: Fury Road,” Sony Pictures’ “Pixels” and Disney’s “Tomorrowland.”
FanDuel has a playoff contest where winners will go to the NBA Finals. Anheuser-Busch’s domestic activation will come in later rounds, but in China the company is activating with themed creative supporting its Harbin and Sedrin beer brands. Additionally, AmEx plans to add content to its Home Court Advantage website, and Diageo will have on-premise activation, at-retail themed playoff and NBA Finals point-of-sale ads, and broadcast buys.
Other partner activations include consumer electronics marketer Harman with Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard in social and digital campaigns; Kumho Tire, with a playoff-themed promotion at local dealers; and long-standing activations such as Kia’s Performance Awards and AutoTrader.com’s Drive to the Finals fantasy game.
