Nike + Rolex earned media, Whoop has the last laugh, KD's lifetime deal, NRL's new sponsorship ahead of Magic Round + more
Nike + Rolex earned media, Whoop has the last laugh, KD's lifetime deal, NRL's new sponsorship ahead of Magic Round + more
Things worth noticing in sport
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Nike capitalises from a viral moment
On Wednesday after losing to the Miami Heat, NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo went viral for his post response on failure:
Nike turned it into an ad 👇
Earned media brilliance
Nike were in the perfect position to quickly “react” to this moment because Giannis Antetokounmpo was already a Nike-sponsored athlete. It presented Nike with a perfect opportunity to express their POV, reinforce their brand values, and insert themselves into the conversation around the viral moment.
Kevin Durant became the 3rd NBA player with a lifetime Nike deal.
LeBron James, Michael Jordan and Christiano Ronaldo are the only other athletes who have secured such deals.
Nike x Kevin Durant
- KD is in his 15th NBA season and is a 13-time All-Star
- Nike first signed KD in 2007 and has produced 16 KD signature shoes since
- In 2019, it was estimated that KD earns US$26m annually from Nike
*Sneaker deals are the biggest endorsement for most NBA players and typically represent the bulk of their off-court earnings 👇 Source: Forbes
Amazon announced its shutting down Amazon Halo, much to WHOOP's delight
In 2018, Amazon met with Whoop to invest.
In 2020, they announced a direct knockoff.
In 2021, Whoop launched a new Whoop 4.0 that included a message on the circuit board aimed at Amazon.
“Don’t bother copying us. We will win.”
In 2023, Amazon Halo is being discontinued, Whoop are offering free trials to Halo users.
Read more about this David vs Goliath battle here.
Rolex reaps the rewards of James Harden’s generosity
Speaking of watches, James Harden gifted Joel Embiid a golden Rolex after winning the 2022-23 Kia NBA MVP - The video went viral.
Whether it was intentional or not, Rolex was the true winner of this exchange, given the amount of positive PR it received.
🏒 Snoop Dogg announced that he's part of the bidding group seeking ownership of the Ottawa Senators.
Snoop Dogg has been around Ice Hockey for a long time (he's drunk out of the Stanley Cup before) and aims to help bring it to a new audience.
He's up against some stiff competition though - Ryan Reynolds is part of another investing party deemed to be the front runner.
Football x FMCG
Following Pepsi Max's sponsorship of the AFL's Gather Round Footy Festival, The National Rugby League have just announced a new partnership with Arnott’s Shapes as the official presenting partner of the 2023 Brisbane Magic Round.
Buried beneath the news - North Melbourne FC are the unfortunate losers.
In case you've been living under a rock, the AFL officially awarded Tasmania the league's 19th team licence...
Buried beneath this news is the impact that it will have on North Melbourne Football Club who has traditionally classed this state as a key development area, and who've played regular matches in Tasmania since 2012.
Club president, Dr Sonja Hood has addressed this issue in a letter addressed to members and fans.
Notes:
- The Club will continue to play AFL games at Blundstone Arena until 2025
- The Spirit of Tasmania partnership structure is due for renewal at the end of 2025 and may have to be restructured, if renewed at all
- Changes to Next Generation Academy and Fan Development strategies are likely to occur
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