Early February, timed to leverage excitement around and interest in the NBA All-Star Weekend, saw Emirates and the National Basketball Association (NBA) announced a multiyear global marketing partnership which sees Emirates become the Official Global Airline Partner of the NBA.
Initially, the tie-up and its various assets were promoted via in-arena branding and presence, social media content and a PR push.
The airline/league collaboration includes an extensive rights package that sees Emirates become the inaugural title partner of the NBA Cup (previously the NBA In-Season Tournament), as well as being the first ever referee jersey patch partner of the NBA.
The Emirates logo will feature on all NBA, WNBA and G League referee jerseys: starting with the 2024 NBA All-Star Game on 18 February.
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Emirates branding will be visible through virtual in-arena signage and on top of the backboard during nationally televised NBA games.
As the first title partner of the Emirates NBA Cup, the global airline will be featured through a cobranded Emirates NBA Cup event logo, with co-branded promotion planned across the NBA’s global social media community and in-arena signage throughout the Emirates NBA Cup Semi-final and Championship games starting next season.
The deal also provides the airline with a presence at other marquee league events: including NBA Crossover (an immersive fan event at NBA All-Star), the presenting partner of the NBA Finals Legacy Project (which features the dedication of new NBA Cares Live, Learn, or Play Centers in each NBA Finals team market).
Emirates will also engage NBA fans as a partner of select preseason and regular season NBA Global Games and via the league’s interactive fan events like NBA District and NBA House.
Plus, fans will be able to watch NBA content on all Emirates flights via the airline’s inflight entertainment system, while the marketing partnership will also allow basketball fans to purchase a wide range of official NBA merchandise (including basketballs, sportswear and vintage collectibles, with co-branded collaborations to follow later this year). The merchandise will be sold at the official Emirates Store at Emirates’ Headquarters in Dubai and online at www.emirates.store.
“We are proud to establish a global marketing partnership with the National Basketball Association to become its Official Global Airline Partner,” said Emirates Group Chair and CEO Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum. “This collaboration will also see Emirates become the league’s first referee jersey patch partner and the inaugural title partner of the NBA Cup. With basketball’s popularity around the world, we are excited to work with one of the most globally recognized and prestigious professional leagues. The NBA is a valuable addition to our sponsorship portfolio as it allows us to connect with a vast global fanbase, including in the U.S., where the game is an integral part of the country’s sport culture”.
“Emirates is a world-class airline that shares our commitment to engaging fans around the world in new and creative ways,” added NBA Deputy Commissioner and COO Mark Tatum. “As basketball continues to be recognized as the fastest growing sport globally, this collaboration will showcase the excitement of the NBA to the millions of people who fly Emirates every year”.
The tie-up and initial activation was timed to leverage the 73rd NBA All-Star Game which was held as at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana and which reaches fans in 214 countries and territories in 60 languages on television, digital media and social media.
Emirates has been a longstanding supporter of regional basketball for almost 30 years – particular in the UAE and Lebanon. Its hoops sponsorship portfolio includes partnerships with clubs and tournaments and its new NBA tie-up will boost its strategy of reaching the league’s huge fanbase in the USA and around the worl.
In fact, Emirates has long made sports sponsorship a key pillar of its marketing mix and recent activations range from campaigns leveraging a diverse, international portfolio of partnerships such as with Real Madrid, the GBR SailGP Team, UAE Pro League, AC Milan, Benfica and RWC 2024.