Start to Finish

ABOUT THIS ENTRY

Start to Finish NBA-ified satisfying creator videos, known for being watched from beginning to end more than typical videos, to prove to people that endings are way better when you watch from the beginning.

How does this represent "Excellence in Engagement"?

Across social platforms, the activation generated 20.7M views, 35.1M impressions, and 2.5M engagements, demonstrating strong scale and sustained viewer attention driven by start-to-finish, satisfying formats. Engagement levels reflected high completion behavior rather than passive reach, confirming the effectiveness of process-driven storytelling.

Together, these results show that Start to Finish successfully cut through a fragmented media landscape, amplified the significance of Tip-Off Week, and contributed to record-breaking engagement and viewership. By using creator-led content as a unifying signal, the NBA drove awareness and tune-in at scale while reinforcing its position as a cultural leader that meets fans wherever attention lives.

Objective

Audience behavior around watching the NBA has changed. While core fans still follow the league closely, most casual fans only consume the regular season through highlights, social clips, and creator-driven content rather than live broadcasts. 

Our challenge was to convince all fans that the start of the season was worth watching. The brief called for a digital-first approach that would inspire people to actually tune in to the live broadcasts for Tip-Off Week.

Strategy & Execution

The work was informed by a simple cultural insight: regardless of interest or fandom, everyone is drawn to satisfying content. The kind of content people weren’t skipping & makes people watch until the end. Across platforms, some of the most consistently engaging videos are driven by format rather than subject. Start-to-finish builds, step-by-step transformations, and oddly satisfying reveals create a universal viewing behavior. Viewers don't care what is being made; they stay because the process promises completion and reward.

These formats act as a Trojan horse to capture attention. The satisfaction of watching something come together lowers the barrier to entry, allowing ideas to enter feeds seamlessly. 

This insight directly shaped the strategy for Start to Finish. In a fragmented media environment, the NBA needed a unifying signal that could live above individual broadcasts and platforms. Instead of asking audiences to seek out basketball content, the strategy embedded the league inside formats people already watch.

The purpose was to make Tip-Off Week culturally unavoidable. By using universally satisfying formats to capture attention, the NBA could drive awareness, tune-in, and reinforce key league messaging about the satisfaction of witnessing discipline, persistence, and process from the beginning, on the court and beyond it.

Organizations

• NBA

  Translation

  16 Bars

  Unitedmasters

   

Featured

• • Viv Xue (Nail Art) 
  • Bijou by Becca (Bedazzler) 
  • Marble Racing Mayhem (Marbles) 
  • Foxhouse Woodwork (Woodworking) 
  • Danny Cortes (Miniature Art) 
  • Cleaning the Dirtiest (Cleaning/Restoration) 
  • OG Slimes (Slime Making) 
  • Happy Rugs (Rug Making) 
  • Falling in Sand (Sand Art) 
  • Motivated by Mylan (DIY) 
  • Between Spoonfuls (Food) 
  • Fried Rice Art (Food) 

Credits

Tammy Henault
Chief Marketing Officer
NBA

Jenny Whitlock
SVP, Global Fan Marketing
NBA

Janine Dugre
SVP, Advertising, Brand and Creative Services
NBA

Andy Heatley
SVP, Media
NBA

Gary Mack
VP, Creative Production
NBA

Juan Colon
VP, Media
NBA

Colin Dooley
VP, Brand Strategy
NBA

Ashley Atwell
VP, Social and Emerging Media
NBA

Alaina Williams
AVP, Global Fan Marketing
NBA

Stuart Bryan
AVP, Communications
NBA

Jason Gilfillan
AVP, Social & Digital Content
NBA

Britt Holland
Director, Media
NBA

Erica Holley
Director, Creative & Advertising
NBA

Jennifer Burnett
Director, Project Management
NBA

Jake Freeman
Director, Social Content
NBA

Molly Yuan
Senior Manager, Global Fan Marketing
NBA

Brianna Colon
Senior Manager, Global Fan Marketing
NBA

Eyasu Delesa
Manager, Communications
NBA

Taylor Baur
Associate Manager, Partner Marketing
NBA

Ryan Batawala
Coordinator, Global Fan Marketing
NBA

Beto Fernandez
Chief Creative Officer
Translation

Mina Mikhael
Executive Creative Director
Translation

Steve Horn
Executive Creative Director
Translation

Kevin Filliter
Creative Director
Translation

Jon Murray
Creative Director
Translation

Britt Gudas
Designer
Translation

Andrea Haber
Talent Manager
Translation

Dayo Ajayi
Group Account Director
Translation

Taylor West
Sr. Account Director
Translation

Kaileigh Woodruff
Account Director
Translation