Bulls NBA Cup Nights

ABOUT THIS ENTRY

In November 2024, the Chicago Bulls unveiled their NBA Cup Nights court, designed by renowned artist Victor Solomon. The 2024 Emirates NBA Cup marked only the second time the Bulls have played on an alternate court. The new court designed with concentric circles representing the 3 phases of the Cup and the iconic Bulls logo overlayed provided the perfect centerpiece for the campaign’s storytelling and fan engagement efforts.

The integrated campaign combined the best of the Bulls with their top corporate partners, Motorola, Anheuser Busch and American Express. From a “First Look” event, during which the Bulls invited media and content creators a chance to see and play on the court before even the players to innovative fan experiences throughout all four games, the NBA Cup campaign allowed the Bulls to engage the with new audiences and expand corporate partnerships, generating additional excitement and revenue early in the season.

How does this represent "Excellence in Engagement"?

The Bulls took a league moment, and delivered a best-in-class, multi-channel activation approach with new events and a focus on creator amplification that provided more reach and value to partners than in year 1 of the NBA Cup, along with six figure revenue involving three different sponsors.

In only its second year, Bulls Cup Nights has become a key brand and business platform on the Bulls calendar. A truly integrated campaign in every sense of the word, Cup Nights permeated every step of the fan journey, delivering for multiple marquee partners along the way. Bulls Cup Nights has a clear and differentiated strategy in ticketing, retail, content, in-arena, and unique experiences. However, what really raised the bar in 2024 was an emphasis on activating content creators and strategic media outlets to bring the campaign to new audiences.

Objective

When the NBA announced the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup, the Bulls saw the opportunity to

* extend a league moment for fan engagement
* drive early interest during the Bulls schedule
* evolve two regular season home games into a milestone moment
* build a platform to engage fans, elevate customers’ experience
* make a business impact across ticketing, retail, and corporate partnerships.

With a legendary brand identity that very rarely deviates from its iconic look, the Bulls used the tournament games and secondary court to tap into the brand’s history in a modern way.

Strategy & Execution

The campaign centered on developing and integrating a 360 approach that connected ticketing, retail, content, and once-in-a-lifetime experiences and developing platform to engage with premier partners including Motorola, Michelob ULTRA, and American Express.

Key touchpoints included:

Extending Court Design to All Fan Touchpoints: The Bulls mirrored the court design in all marketing and ticketing assets, fan giveaways, and the gameday look.

Creating Innovative Fan Experiences: Throughout two home and two away games, the Bulls created unique and legendary experiences for fans – from welcoming innovative vendors like @thecollegecuber_to that offered an interactive art experience to hosting a watch party for an away game with partner Motorola.

Hosting a Fan Sweepstakes to Play on the Court: The Play of the Court sweepstakes, presented by Motorola, allowed fans the chance to hoop on the court before even the team set foot on it

Previewing the Court with Media and Creators: The Bulls hosted a first look event for media and creators to see the court, meet Bulls legend Horace Grant, play basketball and create content hours after it was installed. This included a Snapchat Creator Takeover using Motorola razr+ phones, authentically integrating their partner along with the story worthy court.

Organizations

• Chicago Bulls
• Motorola
• Anheuser Busch
• American Express

Links

•   Website

Featured

• Victor Solomon
• Kenny Beecham
• Dylan Sadiq
• Horace Grant
• Faith Enokian
• Lauren Fitzmaurice

Credits

Alex Compton
Integrated Marketing Manager
Chicago Bulls

Abbe Gahart
Manager, Partnership Marketing
Chicago Bulls

Laniesa Shafer
Manager, Partnership Marketing
Chicago Bulls

Danielle Porter
Coordinator, Partnership Marketing
Chicago Bulls

Kamil Strycharz
Manager, Creators & Communities
Chicago Bulls

Sofia Musman
Coordinator, Creators & Communities
Chicago Bulls

Sarah Smith
Executive Director, Marketing
Chicago Bulls

Jamie Litoff
Executive Director, Partnership Marketing
Chicago Bulls

Serena Yeh
Sr. Manager, Digital Partnerships
Chicago Bulls

Max Berman
Director, Entertainment & Events
Chicago Bulls

Zaida DeGuzman
Director, Entertainment & Events
Chicago Bulls

Jamie Beyer
Digital Content Designer
Chicago Bulls

Joe Pinchin
Director, Digital Content
Chicago Bulls

Aaron Carter
Manager, Brand Communications
Chicago Bulls

Mimi Morris
NA Brand Partnerships
Motorola

Feyisayo Yusuf
NA Brand Partnerships
Motorola

David Obajtek Jr
Director, Sports Marketing
Anheuser-Busch

JP Hussey
Director, Sports Marketing
Anheuser-Busch

Jimmy Mitchell
Manager, Content Design
Chicago Bulls