DECEMBER 2016 NBA D-LEAGUE B R A N D I N G RECOMMENDATION AND PLAN. Team B

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1 DECEMBER 2016 NBA D-LEAGUE B R A N D I N G PR RECOMMENDATION AND PLAN Team B

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS

3 PRIMARY OBJECTIVES The client has a stated objective that the NBA wants to build awareness of the D-League, with special emphasis on markets where the teams play as well as markets where the players are best known as star college athletes. The primary objective for the client is to increase awareness of the D-League followers who are not fully engaged with their local teams. Special emphasis will be placed on markets where the players are best known as college star athletes. Targeting these specific areas will increase commitment of the fans. Our goal is to leverage this consideration and the resources provided to help make the D-League more relevant to people today. 1

4 SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS The D-League s main challenge is the lack of awareness of the league. The D-League is a subset of the world s pre-eminent professional basketball league, and it should be perceived as that. The challenge is to change the perception of the D-League. These players are playing at the highest level of basketball next to the NBA. Almost 30 percent of current NBA players came from the D-League. The D-League offers a family-friendly environment that is less costly than a NBA game. Fans can cheer for players from their alma maters, for example, Quincy Acy played at Baylor and now plays for the Texas Legends. Fans of Quincy Acy while he played at Baylor now have the opportunity to support him in making his NBA dreams come true. There is a significant opportunity for creating a connection between well-known college players and their alma maters. Players from all over the world come to the United States to play for the D-League. These players make the United States their home, while keeping up with friends and family from their home country. In order to expand the international market, international players need to heavily promote the League on social media. Primary Target Audiences: Current D-league fans Current Fans of the NBA Families with children looking for cheap entertainment Secondary Audiences: College students Men & Women Low income Continuing to follow college basketball stars 2

5 SWOT TABLE Social Media presence Visually appealing website Strong interaction on Facebook Alum presence Players may or may not stay with the team Smaller fan base compared to the NBA Low ticket sales Affordable game tickets Chance to see potential NBA players Promote D-League draft International market NBA media coverage Perception of the name itself, D-League 3

6 BENEFITS OF TEAM B Our plan utilizes the strengths and opportunities of the D-League. This plan meets the needs of the client s objective by building awareness. Our plan overview puts special emphasis on community outreach, awareness and expansion of the D-League, as well as increasing the client s social media presence. 4

7 PLAN OVERVIEW Have the D-League help their teams understand their individual niche markets to promote awareness. Encourage D-league teams with high profile college players to promote them to their audience. For example, having scrimmages with the local college team, going to campuses and passing out team schedules, and having a partnership with the local collegiate athletics social media to cross promote games. It s important to note that D-league games are much cheaper to go to than NBA games therefore, a college-aged audience is perfect to target. In places where the D-league team does not have the ex college players to capitalize off of the teams need to put special emphasis on community athletes and creating fans within the community. Elementary schools and club basketball teams are special places to target because children will beg their parents to go to games, just because they know the players. Parent teams should also help promote their D-league team through PA announcements during their home games, websites, social media and having players go to the D-league game. Expansion into the international market is a real possibility, players from different parts of the world will have their home countries supporting the developmental team they were drafted to. Facebook is a popular social media platform throughout the world, and having the D-league draft on Facebook Live will generate buzz in the international community. Prior to the draft, heavy promotion of stories of successful D-league players who went on to the NBA should be circulated as well, especially to international audiences. 5

8 CORE MESSAGES D-League Messages: - (October 30th) Watch the official D-league draft on Facebook Live. Comment, like, react to your hometown heroes as they make it one step closer to the highest level! - Check out these past D-League alumni and their stories on how they made it to the highest level in the game on our website. - (Internal) Have the d-league help you get more ticket sales, offering consultations on identifying your niche market Individual Team Messages: - (Parent team) Come and watch our Fort Wayne Mad Ants take on the Texas Legends tomorrow night at 7pm! Get more information at our ticket stand or any informational booth in the arena. - Today our LA D-Fenders marketing team is at the UCLA campus passing out team schedules and doing special promotions on game tickets! - The Greensboro Swarm is excited so excited to be at Greensboro elementary school today teaching kids about the importance of exercise and nutrition 6

9 CREATIVE CONCEPTS Twitter: Encourage college teams to tweet about their alums including the name of the D-League team they are now playing for. Check out Baylor alum Quincy Acy as he plays for the Texas Legends Tuesday night at Dr. Pepper Arena!! #SicEm #WeAreLegends Facebook: Encourage the NBA D-League Facebook page to promote their players who have gone on to play in the NBA. D-League games are a great way to watch potential NBA stars. NBA Development League Record shows 30 percent of players on NBA opening day rosters have NBA D-League experience. Thunder s starting power forward Mitch McGary played his rookie and sophomore season for the OKC Blue before stepping up to play for the Thunder in Check out his stats here 7

10 CREATIVE CONCEPTS Press Release: Tori Ross FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, November 23, The Oklahoma City Blue is adding center Dakari Johnson to the roster for the 2016 season. Johnson played college basketball at the University of Kentucky. He is 7 feet tall and weighs 255 lbs. Johnson will wear number 44 for the blue. At the University of Kentucky, Johnson averaged 13.5 points, 8.15 rebounds and 2.2 assists. He played high-school basketball at St. Patrick High School in Elizabeth New York. He was a five-star recruit by ESPN.com coming out of highschool. He was also named a McDonald s All-American in He ended his high school career averaging 17.0 points, 11.0 rebounds and 4.3 blocks per game as a senior. Johnson declared for the NBA draft forgoing his final two years of college eligibility. He was selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round. Johnson was picked 48th overall of the NBA draft. He represented the United States in the FIBA World U17 Championship. We are absolutely thrilled to have Dakari join our team here in Oklahoma City. His strength, endurance and spirit will add tremendously to our team. We can t wait to watch him thrive here with us, Mark Daigneault, head coach. To look at highlights and stats of Johnson, please visit, ### 8

11 MEASURES OF SUCCESS Increase in: Game Attendance Media coverage Likes Followers Retweets 9

12 ROLLOUT PLAN Pre-season: - Teams begin community outreach - D-League consults individual teams to find their niche market for the season - Scrimmage games with local college teams if applicable to teams markets - Promote the D-League draft through social media platforms - Send out press releases about new players Season: - Evaluate current efforts - Make minor changes to plans as we see fit - Keep promoting team on social media platforms Post Season: - Continue doing community outreach - Reevaluate consultations from the pre-season - Make changes to plans as see fit 10

13 THE NBA D-League PR Plan Team B Ashley Richards, Tori Ross, Lauren Carter, Brianna Edwards and Bukonla Aloba-Williams

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