Pistons’ Attitude, Values & Community-Led ‘Detroit Basketball’ Nets NBA Marketing Campaign 2016

Back at the beginning of the 2015/16 the Detroit Pistons launched a fresh rights owner campaign – ‘Detroit Basketball’ – based not just on its championship history, culture, attitude and community involvement, but also on the team’s core ‘play hard, play smart, play together’ values.

The initiative draws parallels between team and community and it highlights the pride, passion, unity and authenticity shared by the Pistons ownership, players, fans and the wider Detroit community.

The campaign launched in the metro area with a spearhead 90-second spot called ‘Detroit Anthem’: a form of video manifesto airing on local television and was narrated by Pistons legend, Detroit native and former mayor Dave Bing.

The creative offers further authenticity by featuring iconic area locations from downtown landmarks to the suburbs) alongside heartfelt testaments from local personalities and fans.

The 90-second core film – ‘Detroit Basketball Anthem’ – fronted the campaign.

It was followed by a supporting series of 30-second cut-down spots on its digital and social platforms: each focusing on a specific aspect of Detroit and the Piston’s character.

These included ‘Blue Collar’ (‘Our attitude is forged from adversity and a bond that others wouldn’t understand’),

‘Determination’ (‘We don’t shy away from adversity. We welcome it.’),

‘This Is Us’ (‘This is us and this is our basketball.’)

and ‘The D’ (‘One letter synonymous with pride, determination and resilience’.)

The video work was linked through social channels with action and community event roundups and the work was projected across prominent local web sites and it even aired locally before the area’s biggest annual college football game between Michigan State and Oregon.

The organisation rolled out the campaign both internally and externally.

Internally, the Pistons’ marketing team replaced all in-arena signage with fresh marketing messages reflecting the campaign creative and created created custom gear for all team members.

Externally, it launched a multi-channel campaign that spanned both traditional, digital advertising and social assets and it was deeply integrated with local businesses.

Plus, the Pistons showed their commitment to the community by working with local businesses and conducting social responsibility events tagged with the hashtag #detroitheart.

According to the Detroit Pistons’ Creative Director Jason George, all the storyboarding and scripting was completed internally within the franchise’s marketing team and the campaign was very much ‘their vision’.

They then directly hired producers and directors to work on the shooting, editing and production.

‘We wanted to draw parallels between the community and the Pistons,’ George explains.

‘We wanted to capture the spirit and attitude of the Detroit community and the Pistons, more so than just a physical location.’

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The campaign results have been impressive.

Not only did the core ‘Anthem’ spot rack up 36,573 YouTube views, but the campaign increased brand amplification and drove significant media exposure – plus the team was a 21% boost in full season ticket sales and renewal rates at 92%.

Furthermore, the campaign also scooped the inaugural ‘NBA Team Marketing Campaign of the Year Award’ at the end of the season’s official league ‘Sponsorship, Marketing and Digital Workshop’ in Austin, Texas.

The NBA invited each team to submit its best season-long team marketing campaign from the 2015-16 season and team executives voted for the top team marketing campaign based on creativity, cross-platform engagement and measurable results that align with the organisation’s goals.

‘The Pistons created a campaign that was highly successful because it created unity between the team and the people of Detroit,’ said Amy Brooks, NBA Executive Vice President, Team Marketing & Business Operations.

‘The blue collar, grassroots approach that the team took resonated with its fans because it was authentic and expressed the Pistons’ aspirations for the team.’

The Pistons celebrated the win with some social activity on Twitter

The #Pistons received the first-ever NBA Team Marketing Campaign of the Year Award!

More: https://t.co/5sSaOW1R2i pic.twitter.com/Si5A1Yv3G6

— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) May 26, 2016

and Facebook.

‘We are honoured to receive this award,’ said Charlie Metzger, Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing & Communications Officer, Detroit Pistons.

‘It’s a thrill to be recognized by the NBA and our peers. What’s most rewarding is knowing that this campaign is connecting with our fans and partners and bringing them all together as Detroit continues its comeback and knowing that the Pistons are playing a role in that both on and off the court’.

The objective behind the work was that the Pistons wanted to reconnect with the city of Detroit.

The Detroit Pistons have made solid strides on and off the court in recent years – under the ownership of Tom Gores. Not only did they make the playoffs for the first time in seven years, but they have also made progress through community outreaches (and successful marketing campaigns like this).

It also reflects the wider push from multiple parties to revitalise the city.

Might the team even consider leaving its Auburn Hills home and move back into the city itself?

After all, the Pistons haven’t played a game downtown since their Cobo days 37 years ago.

Links

Detroit Pistons YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/user/DetPistonsOfficial

Detroit Pistons Web:

http://www.nba.com/pistons

Detroit Pistons Twitter:

https://twitter.com/detroitpistons

@DetroitPistons

Detroit Pistons Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/detroitpistons

Detroit Pistons Google+:

https://plus.google.com/u/1/+DetroitPistons/posts