--- title: Chicago Bulls x American Express | 6th Hashtag Sports Awards description: Global awards recognizing excellence in fan engagement and celebrating creativity across sports marketing, media & entertainment image: https://www.hashtagsports.com/hubfs/awards/shortlist-2024/bulls-amex.webp --- Chicago Bulls x American Express | 6th Hashtag Sports Awards # Chicago Bulls x American Express [Chicago Bulls](https://www.nba.com/bulls/) The 6th Annual Awards Winner ![trophy-icon-silver](https://www.hashtagsports.com/hubfs/brand/trophy-icon-silver.svg) - Best Brand Sponsorship Share [** ](https://www.hashtagsports.com/awards/shortlist-2024/chicago-bulls-amex#) [** ](https://www.hashtagsports.com/awards/shortlist-2024/chicago-bulls-amex#) [** ](https://www.hashtagsports.com/awards/shortlist-2024/chicago-bulls-amex#) ABOUT THIS ENTRY The Chicago Bulls are better when you’re #withAmex. Together with American Express, the United Center and the Bulls provide unique, relevant, enviable benefits to Amex card members that are visible to prospects on-site and amplified to prospects nationwide. ![Image](https://www.hashtagsports.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Assets-2024-shortlisted/NyynWXzK.jpg?width=1920&height=1080&name=NyynWXzK.jpg) How does this represent “Excellence in Engagement”? The Bulls x Amex partnership remains a marquee partnership for both parties because the Bulls understand the Amex brand inside and out and carefully curating our activations to the cross section of our brands. The partnership is not rooted in signage or media. Instead, we focus on creating new, innovative, unique, and premium platforms built for specific engagements with an intentional fan segment. Anyone can put on a postgame concert, but it only moves the needle towards marketing objectives when it is visually represents both brands and draws the right audience. This same principle applies to everything the Bulls do with Amex. Together, a league mandated practice open to the public becomes a Behind the Scenes exclusive experience rewarding Bulls and Amex’s most loyal fans and cardmembers. A shared value of evolving customer experience comes to life through an AmEx gate, concession discounts, and exclusive access to tickets and experiences. A sweepstakes becomes Bulls Drops, amplifying coveted Bulls merchandise and enviable Amex access worldwide. The Bulls and Amex partnership is a case study in developing experiences that could only be Amex x Bulls, and consistently raising the bar for what’s cool while measurably turning fans into brand advocates. Objective Life is better when you’re #withAmex. That means driving brand love and advocacy with Amex cardmembers and gen-z and millennial prospects to increase their likelihood to consider Amex when looking for a credit card. Amex partners with sports properties and venues in priority markets to make that north star a reality—the United Center and Chicago Bulls are better when you’re #withAmex. Together with American Express, the United Center and the Bulls provide unique, relevant, enviable benefits to Amex card members that are visible to prospects on-site and amplified to prospects nationwide. The Bulls have partnered with Amex to do this for nearly fifteen years, and still remain a best practice partnership for Amex across all of professional sports. This is due to the Bulls and the United Center’s strength, reach, and demand in a must-win market, but further, the Bulls ability to excel in key consideration driving experiences that are culturally relevant, differentiated, and innovative going above and beyond in Amex’s team and venue strategy: 1. Amex gets you to the excitement faster 2. Amex gets you special access 3. Amex give you more values 4. Amex gives you unexpected delights Strategy & Execution A Bulls partner since 2010, AmEx initially aimed to leverage consumer passion points to create enviable experiences for cardmembers and drive brand awareness. As the financial market changed, Amex’s objectives focused in on curated benefits and experiences that are always-on for cardmembers, and intermittent for prospects to drive awareness not for the brand, but for the differentiated suite of benefits Amex provides. To innovate with Amex as they grow, the Bulls bring together experts from different disciplines to brainstorm what would uniquely benefit our fans and accomplish partner goals. This “agency approach” has allowed us to turn Amex’s contractual assets into impactful platforms and campaigns that support both AmEx and Bulls marketing objectives. One example being Amex season ticketholder family fest, which no longer reached the right demographic or enviable experience the Bulls or Amex were looking for, so we evolved to the AmEx Behind-the-Scenes Experience, allowing 50 fans, cardmembers, and season ticket holders an exclusive viewing of Bulls practice and a first ever conversation with Basketball Operations Leadership. Whether it is the Amex early entry gate, ticket presales, Bulls Drops, or Club Red postgame concerts, each execution is designed specifically to demonstrate that the Bulls are better #withAmex. **Organizations** - Chicago Bulls - American Express - United Center **Links** - [  Website](https://www.nba.com/bulls/videos/bulls-x-american-express-behind-the-scenes-experience) **Credits** **[Laniesa Shafer](https://www.linkedin.com/in/laniesa/)** Manager, Partnership Marketing Chicago Bulls **[Jamie Litoff](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamielitoff/)** Director, Partnership Marketing Chicago Bulls **[Megan Donovan](https://www.linkedin.com/in/megan-donovan-55412a101/)** VP, Partnership Marketing Chicago Bulls **[Anthony Piccioni](https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-piccioni-08ba3b59/)** Manager, Partnership Strategy & Insights Chicago Bulls **[Serena Yeh](https://www.linkedin.com/in/serena-yeh-01b696103/)** Sr Manager, Digital Partnerships Chicago Bulls **[Kayla King](https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaylaaking/)** Brand and Fan Development Chicago Bulls **[Kim Bonnema](https://www.linkedin.com/in/kmb24/)** Product Manager Chicago Bulls **[Jon Shoemaker](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-shoemaker-8906b73/)** Executive Director, Creative Services Chicago Bulls **[Leo Ehrline](https://www.linkedin.com/in/leo-ehrline-iv/)** Sr. Manager, Global Sports Sponsorships American Express **[Sebastien Gray](https://www.linkedin.com/in/sebastiengray/)** Sr. Analyst, Global Sponsor Sponsorships American Express **[Andrea Jones](https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-jones-a595342b/)** Director, Global Brand Sponsorships & Experiential Marketing American Express **[Kristina Hunt](https://www.linkedin.com/in/huntkristina/)** VP, Sponsorship Assets, Benefits & Ops; Global Advertising & Brand Management American Express **[Laini Dimonte](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alainadimonte/)** Director, Brands Wasserman **[Lindsay Montemarano](https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsay-montemarano-m-s-5051a971/)** Manager, Brands Wasserman **[Jacquelyn Caplan](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacquelynsparks/)** Manager, Business Leadership Momentum Worldwide **[Anna Flynn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-flynn-7278b1150/)** Assistant Associate, Business Leadership Momentum Worldwide #### Celebrate in NYC Join us for the 6th Annual Hashtag Sports Awards™ on the evening of June 6, 2024 as we celebrate finalists and reveal the winners of this year's awards live during the show.   [![RESERVE SEATS](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/834568/c79439a7-e53f-4aa9-9d60-2b68caf80d89.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/834568/c79439a7-e53f-4aa9-9d60-2b68caf80d89)