After years of being spoiled by always having a global superstar in the finals, the NBA had two mid-market teams fighting for the championship. Despite the matchup we needed to come up with a way to position this as a major cultural event.
My research revealed a few key ingredients that led us to our final recipe:
Our core and opportunity audiences both tune in to can't-miss performances.
The awareness of the NBA’s trophy was shockingly low compared to other leagues because of it’s underutilization. Trophy = universally recognized thing to strive for.
Inclusive messaging resonated with the target audience. Your team might not be in the finals. My team might not be in the finals. But we both love basketball. That means We’re All In the Finals.
With those insights, the incredible Seton Kim developed a look that helped drive an average of 11m viewers per game, with game five eclipsing 13m and the final game going beyond 17m resulting in Denver vs Miami being one of the most watched post-seasons in the past 5 years (definitely had nothing to do with Nikola Jokic).
Role: Strategist
NBA FINALS REBRAND
