BETHESDA, MA—Marketing dreams are made when two successful entities come together to create a dynamic team. This is the case of Marriott International and the National Basketball Association (NBA) who, after coming together in 2015, have decided to extend their partnership. This makes Marriott the go-to hotel for league events, including the recently held NBA House Rio; NBA All-Star; and the NBA Global Games in China, London and Mexico—and for the first time, USA Basketball, according to Jennifer Utz, VP, Buzz Marketing & Partnerships, Marriott International.
“Our partnership tipped off in Johannesburg, South Africa, during the NBA Africa Game 2015—the first NBA game in Africa—and included NBA events in 11 other cities across Brazil, Canada, China, Italy, Mexico, Spain and the UK,” Utz explained of their partnership. Last year, the Global Games brought out a total of 110,000 fans; however, the reach of the event goes beyond people packing arena seats because of collaborations such as the one with Marriott, according to Kerry Tatlock, SVP, Global Partnerships, NBA.
Gearing up for this year’s NBA events, the hotel company will take the opportunity to showcase its rewards program and its recently created “experiences marketplace.” Members can redeem loyalty points for NBA and USA Basketball experiences, including access to NBA games and events, as well as NBA Legend meet-and-greets and receptions, entertainment and giveaways with a basketball focus. Marketing messages and photos will be broadcast across the hotel company’s social channels, according to Utz.
With the goal of building an active Marriott Rewards membership, the marketing team was recently in Rio, Brazil, for NBA House, which is the league’s 32,000-sq.-ft.-plus hospitality venue for basketball fans. An estimated 50,000 attendees, in over 10 days, took part in contests, including the “around the world shot, where members competed for loyalty points and trips to Marriott’s portfolio of hotels in the Caribbean and Latin American region. “As of Aug. 14, visitors had won over 400,000 reward points. The energy was fantastic and the lines were incredibly long to get in,” Utz said.
“The partnership brings all of the excitement and passion of the NBA to Marriott Rewards members and guests,” Utz said. “These opportunities are available on the experiences marketplace where members can redeem their Marriott Rewards points for access. In the USA Basketball Showcase prior to Rio, members had the opportunity to redeem points for premium tickets and the opportunity to serve as ball boys or girls during games.”
Marriott’s schedule of 2016 marketing events includes NBA House Rio, NBA All-Star and the NBA Global Games.
Celebrity sightings and player meet-and-greets have been a popular part of the duo’s programming. According to Utz, Marriott and NBA fans in Los Angeles were surprised when they got a chance to be up close and personal with their favorite players from the Men’s 2016 USA Basketball team. “You never know when the players will get involved, like in Venice Beach before the USA Basketball game in LA, when current players Demar Derozan, Kyle Lowry and Kyrie Irving joined NBA legend David Robinson to photo bomb fans and give out tickets to the game,” Utz revealed. Fans thought they were taking photos with a cardboard cutout of the players; however, the real players appeared to take photos with their fans.
In another past event, the hotel group was the presenting partner at the NBA’s London game, where Marriott brought out a double-decker bus stocked with fans and a basketball hoop. “A themed bus drove around the city, giving fans the chance to shoot hoops and interact with celebrities and athletes, said Tatlock.”
Marriott’s executives view the partnership as an opportunity to drive customer loyalty through global recognition and admiration of the sport. Aligning with the basketball association also allows Marriott to provide its database of loyalty members with “unparalleled access and memorable experiences” to the NBA. “Basketball is one of the most popular sports in the world with a loyal and passionate fan base,” Utz pointed out. “Creating that once-in-a-lifetime experience is key to building long-lasting loyalty for our company.”
Utz characterized the NBA as a globally recognized platform with games and programming in 215 countries and territories in 47 languages. “The ability to capitalize on the popularity of the NBA to showcase our global portfolio of hotels to next-generation experience seekers around the world is exactly why we sought out a partner like the NBA,” Utz said. “Through the marketing of exclusive basketball-themed experiences to our database of members, we are promoting the ways in which our partnership gets fans closer to the game than they ever thought possible, thus creating a lasting, positive image for both organizations.”
The NBA revealed common goals in the partnership and said it estimates that Marriott’s database will provide a new audience to tap into. “The NBA and Marriott have a shared goal to reach new audiences and enrich our common customer experiences. We also aim to tell great stories along the way,” said Tatlock. “We love that Marriott is using the NBA as the centerpiece of their global marketing plan, and the result is more awareness and access to the game of basketball for everyone,” sad Tatlock.
Recognizing the NBA’s ability to tap into a young fan base was a reason why Marriott was so keen on the partnership, Tatlock surmised. “Marriott was looking to partner with a global property to help extend their brand, especially among the Millennial audience. Because our fans are younger, we came together and developed ways to engage this group,” Tatlock said, adding their bevy of global, Millennial fans and guests enjoy all-access, game-day events.
Marriott partnered with a sports group, as it has partnered with sports groups and teams in the past, because their customers enjoy this type of association. Utz revealed the company’s partnership strategy is to tap into “passion interests,” including sports and music. “We find fans are often so passionate about their favorite athletes, teams, musicians and bands that they’re willing to travel to see them perform or compete,” said Utz. HB
