As for the celebrity appearances, Rowland’s history with the NBA dates back to being booed with Destiny’s Child at the 2001 NBA Finals in Philly before bringing the house down at the All-Star Game in Phoenix four years later and again in Houston in 2006. While Henault said Cenat represents an opportunity to reach out to more avid NBA fans, Afualo offers an audience of more casual fans that the NBA has been trying to reach earlier in the season through the in-season tournament and other efforts.
“We always like to pull in cameos as celebrities who are just fans of the league and friends of the league, so it was pretty easy to hone in on the mix of talent,” Henault said. “Using content creators is just a great, authentic way to reach our broader audience that already skews heavily multicultural and Gen Z.”
As the NBA season draws closer, the campaign will branch off into more targeted spots, focusing on different storylines and vignettes for various corners of the NBA’s audience. The league is also supplementing its linear television and digital video spots with jump-ball poster art that will start cropping up closer to game time. The various elements helped the NBA answer a question about its growing, increasingly international audience.
“How do we celebrate the broad NBA basketball community coming together with that anticipation and excitement for tipoff and showcase the diversity of fandom?” Henault said.