The list of NBA jersey advertisers for next season continues to grow. Today, Disney announced a two-year deal to sport their logo on game day jerseys of players for the Orlando Magic. The estimated cost of the sponsorship is $8 – $10 million. The Magic are the eighth team to announce an NBA jersey sponsorship, as the Minnesota Timberwolves became the seventh team after announcing a deal with FitBit earlier today.
So what makes this partnership any different? It is the first that appears to have true brand synergy. If you take a quick glance over the current list of jersey advertisers, it is hard to find a logical fit between the sponsor and team. For instance, the ticketing company StubHub (Philadelphia 76ers) is based out of San Francisco. While Qualtrics (Utah Jazz) has a corporate office in Provo, they are a survey/research company. That might as close to the target market of the NBA as Philadelphia is to San Francisco. Maybe the Sacramento Kings can help sell more Blue Diamond almond milk in northern California and I will be on the lookout for those Goodyear (Cleveland Cavaliers) tire composite basketball commercials next season (á la Bridgestone in the NFL).
While the bottom line is usually what matters in sponsorship decisions, it will certainly be more beneficial to both the Magic and Disney given their obvious associations. For starters, the Magic Kingdom’s official basketball team will rename the upper hospitality area of Amway arena to the Disney Passholder Porch. In addition, annual Disney Word ticket holders will have the option to upgrade seats for home games and the team will renew and sell annual Disney World tickets inside the arena. Sounds like a win-win for both parties involved. At least that is what Magic basketball fans are hoping for next year.
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