The NBA Playoff Marketing Mix

The NBA Playoffs are delivering us a gold mine of Marketing material to examine.
Let’s look at The Signature Showdown and Nike’s Gatorade’s New Ad Campaign.

Plus, one of the most underutilized tools in the job seeking process below in Education.
And the power of imagining your funeral in Blessings this week. I promise, it will Bless You.

Signature Showdown

The Western Conference Finals are giving us a Signature Shoe Showdown.
We’ve got the well documented Anthony Edwards & the AE1 on the Minnesota side and not one, but two athletes with a signature shoe on the Dallas Mavericks.
To my surprise, they’re all great.
Luka is showing us the challenge of debuting new silhouettes during peak performance times though.
The struggle lies in wanting the shoe to debut to the most amount of attention: the Playoffs are perfect for this.
But the Playoffs are where legacies are cemented and the pressure is highest. Athletes often revert to their most comfortable when pushed, or injured. Luka may be both.
He debuted the Luka 3 at the start of the playoffs, and it’s a great looking shoe, but as he’s appeared to be more hampered by injury he’s reverted back to the Luka 1.

As a brand, you’d rather him dominate in anything brand right BUT it would be ideal if he’d dominate in the newest product that needs the most attention.
The shoe doesn’t release until July, so there will be plenty of Olympic attention, but it pales in comparison to NBA Playoff visibility.
Either way, Luka has proven an AMAZING signing by the Jordan Brand. He’s a great compliment to their other players, and is potentially gonna face off with the other face of the brand Jayson Tatum if the Mavs make it to the Finals.

First of it’s Kind? The Mavs drafted Jason Kidd, who now operates in a category unto his own, (along with Penny Hardaway) being head coaches who wear their own shoes…and have collabs with their players 👀 

Kyrie Irving has a great new signature shoe with Anta, and the Mavs continue to win, this may prove a great signing by the Chinese brand. They’ve invested resources, debuted a strong product and bet on this athlete to take them to a new level. It’s off to a great start…and may pave the way to recruit others.

Unfortunately, Anthony Edwards has come back down to Earth. His shade to the Luka in his debut won’t go unnoticed by petty fans like myself.

If you wear a size 11, and would actually use these AE1s or share them with a young hooper, respond to this email and I’ll let you know if you won!

Gatorade…or Nike?

As a brand, we are often trying to find DISTINCTION. Meaning, what is our unique place in the universe that only we can occupy?
Gatorade & Nike have shared athletes & venues for years…and on again, off again collaboration.
If I’m Gatorade, I’m trying to find my own lane. Nike should be doing the same. In fact, we were so averse to doing things other people were doing, that we’d often shy away from potentially great work at Nike.
Utilizing Jordan’s voice is authentic for sure. I love the implementation of their new stars, and especially DJ Lagway, the Florida QB. Gatorade was founded at University of Florida, who are the Gators. Get it?
The Black & White Treatment with the Gatorade colors popping? Great touch.
But, the choice of Travis Scott’s music with MJ’s voice and almost exclusively Nike/Jordan Brand athletes just make it feel like a Nike ad to me.
Check it out and see what you think.

They went even further to collab with Travis on the new ad on IG and did an IG takeover collaborating with every top athlete on the roster: a really smart strategy & tool to utilize!

This is the work of the new social agency of record for Gatorade, 24/7 Laundry Service, whose first big & longterm client was… the Jordan Brand.
Sports Marketing is a small world after all.

Education:
A portfolio is one of the most underutilized tools in the hiring process.
You can tell people what you’ve done or you can show them.
I’ve got a resource on my site, but if you don’t use it, put together a slide deck that shows prospects About You, Your Relevant Experience & Your Goals. It’ll add much more flavor and context to your resumé.
If cost is a serious issue for you, message me and we can work it out.
I want you to win.

Blessings:

Imagine your funeral. Who’s in the “Reserved” rows 1 & 2?
Are they getting your best? Or are you giving your best to Rows 21 - 22?
Amazing wisdom from Daniel Harkavy in this episode.