In the basketball marketing world, CarMax is something of a fixture. It\u2019s been an official sponsor of the NBA and WNBA for half a decade, and has for years used superstars from both leagues, like Stephen Curry and Sue Bird, in its ads, some of which have gone viral.<\/p>\n
In the past year, the used-car retailer has made some changes to its creative approach and brand platform, according to CMO Sarah Lane, but one thing has remained the same: CarMax is sticking with basketball stars.<\/p>\n
\u201cBasketball just continues to be a place that\u2019s important to culture,\u201d Lane told Marketing Brew. \u201cIt\u2019s young, it\u2019s modern, it\u2019s where culture starts, and aligning the brand next to that helps us to look and feel more modern and connected to culture.\u201d<\/p>\n
CarMax\u2019s latest campaign, \u201cWanna Drive?\u201d, is fronted by Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell and Dallas Wings guard and WNBA Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers, and is meant to convey a new message about the brand while also nodding to its basketball history, Lane said.<\/p>\n
New driver<\/h2>\n
\u201cWanna Drive?\u201d is a new tagline and overall brand platform for CarMax, according to Lane. Her team started working with a new creative agency, 72andSunny, in the past year, and requested campaign ideas that would make car buyers feel empowered during the process while highlighting CarMax\u2019s omnichannel options, which include home deliveries and online appraisals. The 72andSunny team pitched several ideas, and the simple, two-word question immediately stuck, Lane said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs soon as we saw it, it just lit a little spark in us,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s an invitation. It\u2019s playful. It\u2019s got a play on words\u2026and it has a lot of legs and utility to it that I think we\u2019re excited to be able to evolve for years to come.\u201d<\/p>\n
To accompany the new tagline, Lane said she was looking for a pair of players with \u201cstyle and swagger\u201d who could \u201ccarry that confidence and clarity that we want the customers to be feeling.\u201d She also said she wanted someone from both the NBA and the WNBA this time around. CarMax has made a point of featuring men and women players equally in its campaigns, but has run ads featuring all women for the past couple of years as the W gained popularity.<\/p>\n
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Expect to see Mitchell and Bueckers in CarMax ads for a while: both have multiyear deals with the brand.<\/p>\n
IYKYK<\/h2>\n
While the tagline and athletes are new, there are some elements of the campaign strategy that may be familiar from past CarMax ads, including nods to basketball lore that only serious fans are likely to know. Mitchell, for instance, plays the drums in one of his spots, a real-life hobby of his.<\/p>\n