Inside a sponsorship program built to ‘democratize’ fandom
Not all NBA fans can make it to a game, so AT&T is shooting its shot with a Dunk Bus mobile tour that brings the action directly to them. The program, which launched Jan. 30 in Miami and wraps in Chicago this April, is rolling into community plazas and parking lots on game days to give hoops fanatics a chance to experience the NBA, and basketball culture, outside of the arena.
Across five cities, AT&T is parking the Dunk Bus in high-traffic areas and drawing people in with the allure of robotic hoops, gaming competitions, photo ops, player appearances and giveaways. And with each touchpoint, the brand is quietly showcasing how its mobile connectivity technology can connect fans to basketball whenever and wherever they want.
“As a partner of the NBA, and having several team partners, we wanted to start to see the power of that league and team partnership come together,” says Andrea Wilson, director-sponsorships and experiential marketing at AT&T. “So we’re excited to bring the AT&T Dunk Bus to cities across the country. It’s mobile, it’s interactive and it really was crafted to bring all of the NBA action and culture and community closer together, and to shorten that distance between the league and its fans.”
The on-site experience, which encompasses engagements inside and outside of the vehicle, comprises a strategic blend of basketball-themed experiences with passion points that most fans share, including fashion, art and gaming. The interior of the bus, for instance, includes an area for head-to-head NBA 2K competitions, a mirrored vignette designed for fit checks, a digital postcard activity and brand giveaways.
On the exterior, two motorized hoops featuring adjustable heights, which were first introduced last year at NBA All-Star Weekend, provide fans of any age or stature the chance to live out their “dunk dreams.” There’s also a mini “shop” where attendees can score limited-edition merchandise created by local artists, another 2K gaming zone, seating, and at most stops, the opportunity to interact with past and present NBA players, as well as team mascots and dance squads.
In addition to gameday activations, AT&T is leveraging the tour to give back to the local community in each city. In some cases, that means distributing devices to people in need, and in others, it means bring the Dunk Bus to a local organization. Like in Miami, where the brand hosted a community day at an area school in partnership with Learn Fresh, a nonprofit aimed at making learning more fun by combining sports, entertainment and STEM education.
“The NBA continues to be a great partnership for us because they have such a fun, engaged audience. And it’s not just about the action on the court; it is truly about the basketball culture,” Wilson says. “It’s about fashion, music, art and everything in between. So that’s what you’ll see. We’re tapping into those local communities and finding that intersection, again, between fandom, community and art everywhere we go.”
More Scenes from the Dunk Bus Tour:
Photo credit: Jenna Fernandez for AT&T
