How The Milwaukee Bucks Creamed The Competition With Motorola

👋 Welcome back to Sponcon Sports, a weekly newsletter dedicated to sponsored content strategy in the sports industry!

In the debate between the chronological feed and the For You feed, I’ll always be Team For You.

Without it, I never would’ve discovered gems like this from Stan, the all-in-one creator store.

In this TikTok (3M views), a U.S.-based CEO and a U.K.-based CEO break down their daily schedules hour by hour. Both are successful—but their routines couldn’t be more different.

It feels like a cousin of the classic day-in-the-life format, but with a fresh twist: a side-by-side comparison.

Could this work in sports? Definitely—but not so much for teams, since most players follow similar schedules. This concept is a better fit for leagues and media brands where you can pull from a wider pool and even create crossover content across sports.

You don’t have to stick to the same role either. Think: coach vs. player. Rookie vs. veteran. NBA vs. NWSL.

What types of brands should you target with this concept?

• Routine & habit apps: Sunsama, Rise, Reclaim.ai

• Mental performance: Headspace, Calm, Kaya

• Wearables & health tech: WHOOP, Oura, Fitbit

• Energy & beverage brands: Celsius, GHOST, Starbucks

• Athleisure & performance wear: Nike, Lululemon, Rhone

• Financial tools: Rocket Money, QuickBooks, Ally Bank

• Travel & mobility: Delta, Marriott, Clear

Routines are universal—but the differences are what make them interesting. Comparison-style content is an untapped way to show contrast, build relatability, and bring in new audiences.

In Today’s Edition:

• Bucks Boost Jersey Patch Sponcon 🥛

• Helmet Meets History In Philly 🪖 

• Man U Special Delivery 🚚

🏊️ DEEP DIVE
This Is How You Milk A Jersey Launch

This summer has been on fire with jersey announcements. Everywhere you look—European football, the NFL, the NBA—teams are bringing the heat with their reveal hype videos.

Sponsorship opportunities in those hero videos are limited. Sure, you can customize them to fit a brand, but it takes serious creativity.

More often than not, it defaults to a jersey sponsor—and beyond showing the logo on the kit, the only addition is usually a copy tag.

But the Milwaukee Bucks raised the bar with their Cream City jersey reveal, featuring patch partner Motorola.

The entire City Edition piece leaned into the “cream” theme—from the copy to the visuals—but Motorola’s presence extended far beyond the patch on the jersey.

• A person on a Motorola phone, ordering coffee with extra cream.

• A parent snapping a photo on a Motorola of their kid eating ice cream.

• A fan texting “creamed ’em” on a Motorola after a big win.

Only after those everyday moments did the jersey patch appear in a series of beauty shots showcasing the cream-colored kit.

This is what partnership should look like.

The theme led the creative, the storytelling was fan-first, and the product integration felt real. Motorola wasn’t just featured—it was part of the world the team was building.

In a sea of sponsored jersey drops rooted in earned media value, this one showed that when brand, story, and product come together with intention...the cream really does rise to the top.

Plus Up Opportunities

If you’re taking this approach and want to turn it into a bigger moment for your phone brand partner, here are a few ideas to level it up:

• Shoot BTS content on a Motorola phone, and include a “Shot on Motorola” lockup in the final cut—similar to what Manchester United has done with Snapdragon.

• Pair it with a camera roll dump on team or brand channels, like this McLaren post sponsored by Android.

• Run a “Text to Win” sweepstakes for a new City Edition jersey and phone—while also growing your SMS list. Note - Bonus points to the Bucks for using a “text to get notified” CTA.

• Drop Cream City phone wallpapers for fans to download and rep on their lock screens.

• Create a fan activation at Pete’s Pops: fans who visit the shop and snap a selfie with Bango, whose picture could be featured on an in-store flyer, and a Cream City pop in hand could win prizes—similar to how Aston Martin F1 teamed up with TikTok for their FanMade campaign.

Small extensions like these can turn a great jersey launch into a full-funnel brand experience—with a lot more ways to engage, measure, and win.

🔍️ SPONCONSPIRATION
Steal These Ideas

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the Philadelphia Eagles are the best in sports at creating YouTube content that actually fits the platform. The latest example? Players reacting to 100-year-old NFL gear—presented by Miller Lite.

This match week content from Manchester United and DHL is so clever. Every team on a similar schedule (Soccer, Football, F1, etc) should be pitching something like this to delivery partners.

Great storytelling from the Cincinnati Bengals and EA Sports, who threw it back to the moment Ja’Marr Chase was upset about his Madden rating—to kick off the video announcing he’s now in the 99 Club.

The Tennessee Titans run a series called Neighbors in partnership with Whataburger. Love the idea, and you bet I’ll have this ready to pitch to a real estate brand.

Atlanta United brought the cancer bell-ringing tradition onto the field and amplified it across social in partnership with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Philly 76ers, you need to be doing this.

🚨 ICYMI
What To Watch For

Game, Set, Matchmaker: A new reality dating series is set to take place entirely at the US Open. Sponsors Dobel Tequila and Moët & Chandon will be featured throughout the show, which premieres August 24.

British GP Sponsor Debrief: Shout out to Sarah Beakey! From on-site to online, there was a ton of strong sponsor activation at Silverstone—and she pulled together a must-read recap [via Sunday’s Sponsors Newsletter].

Watchalongs Win In F1: Ed Abis broke down how fans are really watching F1 online—specifically on YouTube—and highlighted the range of formats brands and rights holders can use to win with watchalongs.

Wimbledon’s Smash Hit: After a successful season two of Overheard at Wimbledon, Jamie Rowe (Creative Director and Producer at Two Circles) shared how the series was made—and how the concept evolved in year two.

Stat Of The Week: According to Forrester, 76% of U.S. consumer marketers who invested in sports sponsorships in 2024 say they struggle to measure ROI—even as 39% of CMOs plan to increase spend in 2025 [via Sam Bradley, Digiday].