NBA Jersey Branding: The New Revenue Driver

Almonds, tires, a tech company oh my! These are some of the contenders that will be closely snuggled up against the hard rock bodies of some of the most renown basketball players in the NBA. Say what? It’s a new wave of advertising that has openly rocked the NBA world for many years.

Brand sponsorship opportunities on jerseys was an arguable hot topic with the NBA. Though it’s a great opportunity for brands but some feel it may disrupt the ethics of the sport. Seemingly it can portray that players can be “bought” by brands therefore crossing over a fine ethical byline.

The NBA recently unveiled their jersey sponsorship opportunities to brands willing to pay a cool $4-$8 million annually for that small precious 2.5 square inches of fabric real estate. In exchange the brand’s logo will reside only on the right chest peck of  jerseys allowing for one brand per jersey per team. So which teams are the brave souls paving the way?

The 76er’s have partnered up StubHub, Sacramento Kings with Blue Diamond Growers for a reported $5 million. Boston Celtics will be featuring GE on their jerseys for $8 million annually, Brooklyn Nets have partnered up with Infor, a soft drink brand. Cleveland Cavaliers will be with Goodyear and the Utah Jazz with Qualtrics for $4 million annually.

With the decline of TV and print ads it will be interesting to see is if the NFL and NCAA will follow suit as this opens up new opportunities for sports team to further drive revenue. Though many challenge the effectiveness of such a campaign but if your brand’s end goal is simply brand awareness then this strategy will definitely do the trick. Not to mention if your marketing budget allows for you to burn a few millions then this might be a campaign to consider.