Breaking Down The 2024 NBA and NHL Drafts

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In Today’s Edition:

• NBA and NHL Draft Recaps 🗳️ 

• Manchester United Masters The Home Kit Reveal 🤳 

• Icon-ic Sponcon from Inter Miami CF 🛳️ 

🏊️ DEEP DIVE
NBA and NHL Draft Wrap-Up: A Sponcon Breakdown

Last week was packed with drafts here in the United States. Four straight days of athletes seeing their dreams come true, finally reaching the pro ranks.

We had the NBA Draft on Wednesday and Thursday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, followed by the NHL Draft at the MSG Sphere in Las Vegas on Friday and Saturday.

While both drafts are major events in their respective sports' offseasons, they’re not nearly as big of a deal compared to the NFL Draft. You can see this by the level of sponsorship at each event.

Eighty-one percent of NFL teams (26 out of 32) had a draft presenting sponsor. That’s 62% more than NHL teams and more than double the number of NBA teams.

• NHL Team Draft Presenting Sponsorships – 50% (16 of 32 teams)

• NBA Team Draft Presenting Sponsorships – 36% (11 of 30 teams)

When we take a broader view, it makes sense. Several factors work against NHL and NBA teams making their drafts a more viable and valuable sponsorship asset as standalone events:

• The NFL is a more popular league overall.

• College Football’s popularity gives more fans a reason (and connection) to care about where players are drafted.

• Partner budgets haven’t reset since this event falls within the same league year as the season prior.

The biggest factor is where the draft falls in each league’s offseason calendar.

• In the NFL, teams had anywhere from 74 to 109 off-season days from the end of the regular season to the Super Bowl to plan for the draft.

• NBA teams had 9 to 73 off-season days.

• NHL teams had as little as 4 days and up to 72 off-season days.

It’s not just the shorter lead-up to the draft that creates an uneven playing field. There’s also a significantly shorter gap to the next major offseason event:

• In the NFL, there were 18 days between the draft and Schedule Release.

• NBA teams had less than 2 days before Free Agency, followed by Summer Leagues tipping off 8 days later.

• NHL teams had less than 2 days before Free Agency and less than 24 hours before Schedule Release.

Note - My breakdown of the NHL Schedule Release can be found here.

Similar to Schedule Release, where fewer games (17 vs. 82) give NFL teams an advantage, the cluttered off-season schedule isn’t helping NHL and NBA teams.

Sponcon Selects

Now, let’s dive deeper into the NHL and NBA Drafts from a sponsored content perspective.

The most utilized brands for NHL Draft presenting sponsorships came from the hotel/casino/sportsbook category, featuring The Venetian Resort (Vegas Golden Knights), Seneca Resorts & Casino (Buffalo Sabres), and Caesars Sportsbook (New York Rangers).

Makes sense given the event was in Las Vegas.

Verizon was featured twice (Washington Capitals and New Jersey Devils), as were brands from the auto category (Honda – Anaheim Ducks, Toyota Pacific – Vancouver Canucks).

The ticketing and financial categories were most utilized in the NBA Draft, each appearing three times.

Ticketmaster appeared twice (San Antonio Spurs and Sacramento Kings), while SeatGeek appeared once (Utah Jazz).

Franklin Templeton (Boston Celtics), NerdWallet (Indiana Pacers), and Robinhood (Washington Wizards) represented the financial category.

Detroit Red Wings x Bud Light

When it comes to giveaway items, I’m not sure you’ll find a team that does it better than the Detroit Red Wings.

From the makers of the gravy zamboni and the griddy-head, I present the Bud Light Beer Stick. The secret sauce? They come up with concepts that stand out on social media and create a strong connection back to their partners.

This item was featured as part of the Red Wings’ Sticks & Picks Festival, presented by Bud Light, the presenting sponsor of Detroit’s draft coverage.

The event, highlighted by a watch party in the lower bowl of Little Caesars Arena, also included yard games, street hockey in the Budweiser Biergarten, and much more.

Across both leagues, this was my favorite partnership as it encompassed a mix of great assets online and in person.

Vegas Golden Knights x The Venetian Resort

Very clever of the Golden Knights to align their presenting sponsorship with a local hotel where the NHL Draft took place.

Vegas had my favorite graphics across both leagues, utilizing the MSG Sphere in their creative assets.

NBA x State Farm

State Farm was the presenting sponsor of the NBA Draft at the league level.

The NBA created an AR lens featuring a podium and a State Farm-branded backdrop to mimic an introductory press conference. I liked how they used the draftees to show it off on Snapchat and found an authentic way to integrate State Farm into the design.

Note: the Detroit Pistons also created an AR Lens, but it was unbranded.

NBA x New Era Cap

In terms of IRL product integration, the NBA rolled out a video series aptly named, "Cap or No Cap," presented by New Era Cap, featuring the draftees donning their new team’s hat on night one.

Memphis Grizzlies Power Forward Jaren Jackson Jr. hosted the concept with the league’s newest rookies prompting them to react to different statements.

New Player Apparel

Once players are drafted, fans wonder what number they’ll wear and what their jerseys will look like.

The Washington Wizards partnered with DC Lottery to give fans a first look at what numbers the team’s new players would be wearing next season. This was a smart choice, leaning into content fans want to see as well as the importance of picking numbers in states’ lottery games.

For what it’s worth, teams could blow out the numbers focus for a lottery partner in the draft, using examples like this from the Pistons or graphics showcasing player stats from the team’s newest draftees.

The Sacramento Kings took a similar approach with "First Look in Kings Threads," presented by Avery Dennison.

This concept aligned with their brand partner, given they’re a manufacturer and distributor of pressure-sensitive adhesive materials, apparel branding labels, and tags.

💼 CASE STUDY
Sponsored Content of the Week

If you’ve worked in digital partnerships even briefly, you know how lengthy negotiations and legal reviews can often consign your great ideas to the content graveyard.

But sometimes, the stars align, and you can announce a partnership at the perfect moment.

That’s exactly what happened this week as Qualcomm Technologies was unveiled as Manchester United’s new front-of-shirt partner for both the men’s and women’s teams, featuring the Snapdragon brand.

The announcement coincided with the launch of Man U’s new home kit for the 2024-25 season.

Manchester United legend Eric Cantona features in a piece celebrating fans’ emotional connection to the club and how Snapdragon-powered tech brings that alive for fans.

Why It Works

Snapdragon was prominently but tastefully featured in the video.

Messaging, product placement, and product features were highlighted through animated text and graphics, complementing Cantona’s voiceover. This approach used a "show don’t tell" model, making it feel like a team-led kit launch video with partner integration rather than a partner-led announcement that coincided with the kit launch.

It doesn’t hurt that a kit launch brings increased interest and appetite for content. Fans get excited about new merch, wanting to love it, and see every aspect of it.

The odds of positive sentiment are higher, especially with the addition of Cantona and former manager Sir Alex Ferguson, making it a great time to introduce a brand.

Scaling The Moment

The timing also brought huge earned value for Qualcomm.

The off-season reveal allowed Manchester United to share numerous posts about the new kit (its look, details, purchase info, etc.) across all digital channels without oversaturating feeds or overshadowing other news.

Let’s take a look at a small snapshot on Instagram:

• Between June 30th and July 2nd, 21 posts highlighted the new home kit.

• All 21 posts showed Snapdragon on the front of the jersey.

• Six posts were sponsored by Snapdragon: the teaser, the hero video, behind-the-scenes content (from the team’s and Cantona’s POV), and a pair of static image posts of photos taken during the video.

All this added value doesn’t happen if the announcement needs to be made in the middle of the season.

Runway to Summer Schedule

The announcement’s momentum will carry into Manchester United’s summer schedule.

The new home shirt will debut on the men’s first team during their pre-season tour in Europe and the US, including against Real Betis at Snapdragon Stadium for the Snapdragon Cup in San Diego on July 31st.

With the brand’s existing presence, I’m excited to see how they activate this partnership experientially this summer.

Innovative Digital Extensions

Fans had immediate access to buy the new home kit when it launched on July 1st and could also purchase a digital version.

Manchester United made it available on Roblox, where shirts, shorts, and socks can dress up your avatar via a new United shop within the adidas Outfit Creator experience.

This ties back well to the Snapdragon hero video, showcasing the many ways we experience fandom. Being able to show that fandom online is a big part of the modern fan experience. It also provides a great way for Man U, Snapdragon, and adidas to engage a new, younger audience beyond typical priority channels.

But that’s not all!

Fans can access an augmented reality experience by scanning the Snapdragon logo on the front of the kit. Developed by Snapdragon, this experience brings fans onto the pitch of Old Trafford, featuring exclusive Manchester United content throughout the season.

The Takeaway

This partnership extension between Qualcomm Technologies and Manchester United is an excellent example of timing and integration.

By aligning the Snapdragon brand with the launch of the new home kit, Qualcomm not only maximized visibility but also seamlessly blended into a moment of heightened fan excitement. The collaboration shines by focusing on organic, fan-centric content rather than overt advertising, demonstrating how to leverage timing and creativity to build meaningful connections with audiences.

As the season progresses, it will be exciting to see how this partnership continues to engage fans both on and off the pitch, setting a new standard for future collaborations.

🔍 SPONCONSPIRATION
Steal These Ideas

Texas Tech Athletics called back to a call back to officially launch their partnership with adidas, transitioning from Under Armour. We covered Patrick Mahomes' teaser about this collab in October (see Sponsored Content of the Week).

Inter Miami CF rebranded their Player of the Match content to align perfectly with their front-of-shirt sponsor, Royal Caribbean.

Klarna not only sponsors Angel City FC’s Merch of the Match but also allows fans to make purchases in multiple payments on the team’s shop.

The USWMNT’s player competition series, Truly Teammates, returned this week. I love how it seamlessly incorporates their partner’s name into the concept and highlights the players’ personalities through their connections with each other.

Using the Sphere to make an announcement still hasn’t gotten old yet. This is a great example from UFC to share the date of their Noche UFC event presented by Riyadh Season.

Very clever product integration by creator John Nellis, incorporating an Air Up bottle into his man-on-the-street interviews and on-screen ratings.

🚨 ICYMI
What To Watch For

Digital-Led Growth: John WallStreet dove into how Dana White is leveraging social and influencers to build Power Slap into a dollar business.

Rocket To The Top: Rocket League announced a three-week ‘Festival of Football’ collaboration with adidas allowing gamers to unlock in-game adidas items. Chaj Arunasalam broke down how adidas utilized this strategy to gain market share from Nike.

Star Selection: How the Philadelphia 76ers gained 100K followers during the NBA Draft [h/t Dominyck Bullard].

WhatsApp Channel Events: For any leagues or teams utilizing WhatsApp Channels, you can now plan events, confirm details, and track RSVPs right in the group chat.

IG Reels Best Practices: Via Lia Haberman’s 2024 VidCon Wrap Up, Instagram Reels should be at least 10 seconds long and the sweet spot is 30 to 90 seconds.

Stat of the Week: The NHL fanbase leads the big four American sports in tech adoption and connectivity [via Playfly Fan Score].