The Nonstop NBA

ABOUT THIS ENTRY

The NBA’s fan-base spans borders and generations – from the city kids playing on street courts in Philadelphia or the Philippines, to the casual fans who feed off the memes and highlights online, to the life-long die-hard live broadcast viewers in Indiana. This season, we created a campaign and character that could speak to everyone in the basketball universe.

How does this represent “Excellence in Engagement”?

The Nonstop NBA was rooted in the fans of the league. Every. Single. Fan. From the die hard who watches every single game and can’t stop their fingers from firing off tweets, to the newcomer who caught a game out of the corner of their eye in a bar and decided to stop and check what was good.

Utilizing Nonstop as a character in our campaign and as an avatar of the league itself allowed for ways to appeal to the broadest possible audience base and to make every single type of fan feel spoken to. Nonstop was able to personify certain aspects of the league that helped push the overall narrative of the NBA forward and engaged our audiences at a direct one-to-one level.

Objective

Coming off of a momentous 75th-anniversary celebration last season, it was time to embrace all the things the NBA does to stay on the cutting edge of professional sports and entertainment. This league has always been about embracing change and moving forward–existing at the crossroads of sports and pop culture means forever welcoming new generations of fans.

With a new story every night and every game bringing more exciting action than the last, the NBA is always looking to what’s happening next (spoiler alert: It’s happening now). The NBA’s generational talents and neverending records are what drove us to make a short film highlighting the scope of the NBA’s influence. As the league marches on toward the century mark, this was the perfect opportunity to celebrate the excitement and evolution that is sure to come.

Strategy & Execution

This is The Nonstop NBA. Every basketball fan’s dreamworld, inclusive of all the things from the court to the culture that make this game so beloved. In The Nonstop NBA, every fan is represented, from the old school to the new school; from the die-hards who need to catch every game to those who just follow online for the jokes.

This campaign is the personification of the league itself—fast and furious and with no signs of slowing down, while still bringing everyone along for the ride. Our social-first approach allowed us to connect with the younger audience and those fans who prioritize the social nature of the game, from inside jokes to memes, while our TV and radio spots took the same generation-spanning content and made sure it reached the more traditional fanbase.

All of our audiences saw themselves represented in The Nonstop NBA, creating a generation-transcending campaign with noticeable results—the most-watched NBA Opening Night in 5 years with 7.3 million viewers, a 17% increase from the year before.

Organizations

• Translation
• Prettybird
• JANE
• NBA

Featured Athletes

• Steph Curry
• Tyler Herro
• Joel Embiid
• Jayson Tatum
• DeMar DeRozan
• Tyronn Lue

Credits

Kate Jhaveri
CMO
NBA

Janine Dugre
SVP - Creative Services, Brand & Advertising
NBA

Katie Papelian
Associate VP Marketing
NBA

Alaina Williams
Associate VP Global Fan Marketing
NBA

Matthew Halliwell
International Advertising Lead
NBA

Rudy Crew
Creative Consultant

Cory Zalewski
Senior Manager Promos and PSAs
NBA

Jason Campbell
Chief Opertaing Officer
Translation

Sandi Preston
Chief Strategy Officer
Translation

Mina Mikhael
Group Creative Director
Translation

Steve Horn
Creative Director
Translation

Rob Lewis
Senior Copywriter
Translation

Terrence Watson
Copywriter

Kamiin Valree
Junior Art Director
Translation

Kamiin Valree
Junior Art Director
Translation

Matt Weisman
Junior Copywriter
Translation

Alison Hill
Head of Integrated Production
Translation

Laura Ferguson
Executive Producer
Translation

Estevan Palomino
Executive Producer
Translation

David Mintz
Account Director
Translation

Taylor West
Account Director
Translation

Laura Palacino
Senior Account Executive
Translation

Kate Perkins
Group Strategy Director
Translation

Alex Glaum
Context Director
Translation

Mike Howard
Context Planner
Translation

Charles Kidd II
Director
PRETTYBIRD

Larkin Seiple
Producer
PRETTYBIRD

Ty Rogers
Producer
PRETTYBIRD

Itaru De La Vega
Production Designer
PRETTYBIRD

Daniel Smith
Producer
PRETTYBIRD