The National Basketball Association (NBA), Cartoon Network, and youth marketing agency The Geppetto Group introduce “NBA Hoop Troop,” a multi-platform interactive campaign aimed at getting 6-12-year-olds interested in the sport. The NBA hopes to appeal to kids’ preference for customization, shortened attention spans, and digital habits. The program includes:
• NBAHoopTroop.com, a website featuring videos, original programming, scores, games, and additional league content. The portal serves as a microsite to the NBA’s joint venture with Turner Sports.
• Registered members can earn points through online activities such as watching videos, and offline actions, such as attending NBA events or playing basketball. Points can be redeemed to create a virtual, customized NBA arena on the NBATroopHoop.com website.
• Every Sunday, Cartoon Network airs Run It Back, a one-hour edited version of TNT’s Thursday game, with additional kid-friendly elements such as pop-up graphics, trivia, and interstitials.
• The national “Shot Clock Shopping Spree” promotion with adidas invites kids to enter — either online or in person — to win a shopping spree in New York City with an NBA player. [Online/Sports]
Sources: Cartoon Network, John O’Hara, EVP Ad Sales & Marketing, 1 Time Warner Ctr., 19th Fl., New York, NY 10019; 212-275-6930; john.ohara@turner.com; www.cartoonnetwork.com.
Geppetto Group, Doreen Massin, 114 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10011; 212-482-8140; dmassin@geppettogroup.com; www.geppettogroup.com.
National Basketball Association, Brian Flinn, SVP Marketing, 645 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10022; 212-407-8000; bflinn@nba.com; www.nba.com.
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