Lowe\u2019s has a long history in sports sponsorships, including almost two decades of prior involvement with Nascar and an active relationship with the NFL. But the home improvement retailer has never taken a shot at basketball.<\/p>\n
That changed today when Lowe\u2019s announced its first-ever basketball campaign, which includes partnerships with Las Vegas Aces center A\u2019ja Wilson and New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson. CMO Jen Wilson has aspirations to expand the work into a multifaceted basketball platform, she told Marketing Brew, applying tactics that have worked for the brand in football and soccer to try to connect with Gen Z and millennials through the cultural power of basketball.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a vibe to basketball that we just love,\u201d Wilson said. \u201cAnd not just women\u2019s, but men\u2019s basketball, too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nail on the head<\/h2>\n
Lowe\u2019s has approached sports marketing at both the league and athlete levels depending on its goals. With the NFL, the brand went for breadth and reach in the form of a league-wide deal, Wilson said, while in soccer, her team tapped Leo Messi, a decision aimed at building deeper relationships and loyalty with customers.<\/p>\n
To stand up their basketball platform, the Lowe\u2019s team started with athletes instead of leagues, which Wilson said allowed the brand to get into the space quickly, learn what works, and try to establish credibility among fans. With that said, she added, WNBA and NBA sponsorships are \u201cabsolutely on the table for us to evaluate\u201d down the line.<\/p>\n
When it came to choosing players to work with, Wilson said her team wanted athletes who represented the brand\u2019s \u201cdrive for excellence.\u201d A\u2019ja Wilson certainly fits that description as a four-time MVP who recently became the highest-paid player in the W. Brunson didn\u2019t become a \u201cmega superstar\u201d quite as fast, Wilson said, but he\u2019s become a leader on the Knicks and has a reputation for consistency, which she said \u201cis going to connect with our customers in a really special way.\u201d Brunson dropped 39 points in Game 5 against the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night, and New York decisively won the series on Thursday, advancing to the second round.<\/p>\n
There are a few different versions of the creative, but they all center on a bit of humor and are meant to reflect the players\u2019 personalities, Wilson said. The campaign will run throughout the year, kicking off in the middle of the NBA playoffs and the tipoff of the WNBA\u2019s 30th season. The ads will appear on linear TV, OTT, paid social, and Lowe\u2019s-owned channels like its website and marketing emails.<\/p>\n