With the NBA Finals officially in the books, the basketball world enters another offseason full of questions. Can the Denver Nuggets run it back next year? (Quite possibly, assuming Nikola Jokić doesn’t retire to breed horses.) Can anything stop the San Antonio Spurs from selecting Victor Wembanyama as the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft? (Scoot Henderson could grow 12 inches, or a pair of wings.) Most importantly, which brands and campaigns garnered the highest levels of online engagement during the NBA Finals?
Thankfully, that’s one question for which we can provide a non-silly answer.
Much of the media discourse around the NBA Finals revolved around how advertisers might be deterred by two small-market teams vying for the title. And while some companies might have been pining for an alternative Lakers-Celtics matchup (sorry, Coach Malone, but it’s true), it was a treat for basketball fans to watch Denver and Miami duke it out. Plenty of brands still got in on the action, sharing their messages with the world as the Nuggets dispatched the Heat in five hard-fought games.
In order to determine which brands emerged as champions, we took a look at Engagement, Impressions, and Reach data for the NBA’s top sponsor brands during the Finals (June 1 to June 12). Here’s a handy refresher on what each of these key metrics means:
- Engagement is the total number of likes, comments, and shares that content about a brand receives during a given time period. This is a bragging-rights way of measuring virality that backs up its flashiness with rock-solid fundamentals—the Michael Jordan of metrics, if you will.
- Impressions tracks how many times content about a brand was viewed by the followers of this brand’s creators. Think of Impressions as a highlight reel, or a way of tracking how many eyes were watching.
- Reach measures the total follower count of all the creators who mentioned a brand in a given time period. Just as any great NBA team needs a rabid fan base, any great brand needs solid Reach numbers to guarantee that its message is being received by a wide audience.
Sorry to get all ‘analytics’ on you there, but that is kind of our job. Now that we’ve got the stat-nerd stuff out of the way, let’s dive into the signature campaigns from the 2023 NBA Finals:
Google Invites Everyone to the Watch Party
It should come as no surprise that one of the biggest companies in the world made one of the biggest splashes during the NBA Finals. In an advertisement for its Google Pixel phones, the world-dominating search engine continued its ‘Watch Party’ theme from fall 2022, uniting celebrities and athletes in a fun, festive campaign that captured the spirit of watching the Finals with friends. And since NBA superstars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid choked in earlier playoff rounds had some free time on their calendars, they were able to guest-star in the ads as well.
During the time period monitored, Google netted a cool 12.0M Engagements, 244.6M Impressions, and a whopping 3.2B Reach—you know, just a casual three-eighths of the world’s population. Talk about stat-padding.
Taco Bell, LeBron James Declares Taco Tuesdays for Everyone
Anyone following LeBron James on social media knows that the King loves his tacos. Some savvy intern over at Taco Bell must have noticed, because the world’s top crunchwrap purveyor teamed up with the world’s top basketball player for a truly GOATed ad.
Taco Bell and LeBron collaborated to liberate the popular “Taco Tuesdays” slogan, making sure that the phrase is copyright-free for all to use as they please. The playful ad made a big impact on playoff crowds, many of whom might have been tempted to order delivery as they watched the games.
In all, Taco Bell accrued 920.1k Engagements, 22.7M Impressions, and an impressive 697.5M Reach. From June 1 to June 12, Taco Bell earned mentions across 698 posts from 420 (yes, really) creators.
DraftKings and FanDuel Bet the Over, Win Big
If you follow sports in any capacity, or are a casual acquaintance with a 21-36 year-old American man, you’re probably aware that this whole sports betting thing is getting pretty big. Services like DraftKings and FanDuel are capitalizing on consumers’ fervor for gambling, debuting splashy and star-studded ads all through the Finals.
As part of its increased focus on national ad campaigns, DraftKings rolled out a slick music video at the start of the NBA Playoffs in April. Featuring numerous NBA clips set to an original track featuring Fat Joe, Rick Ross, and others, the campaign was a hit on social media: DraftKings garnered 600.8k Engagements during the NBA Finals, parlaying that into 24.5M Impressions and a Reach of 679.8M.
Not to be outdone, FanDuel debuted an ad sure to be a hit with hoopheads everywhere, featuring Sir Charles Barkley interacting with a hilarious—and slightly uncanny—animated version of his younger self. Given that the ad seemed to play at least once during every commercial break, it’s safe to say that FanDuel’s bet paid off: the gambling platform reeled in 267.7k Engagements, 13.7M Impressions, and a Reach of 267.6M.
Verizon, AT&T Continue Longtime Pitches
Being the spokesperson for a large company seems like a pretty sweet gig: everybody recognizes you, a commercial is less work than a movie, and the checks keep rolling in. Such is the case for actresses Cecily Strong and Milana Vayntrub, better known as the faces of Verizon and AT&T, respectively.
In a continuation of their long running campaigns, Strong sold us on Verizon’s virtues with fellow SNL alum Seth Myers, while Vayntrub carried on as Lily, AT&T eternally chipper avatar. While neither iteration of these campaigns incorporated an NBA-specific element during the Finals (AT&T has previously paired Lily with LeBron), basketball fans can confirm that these ads were on a lot during the playoffs.
It was a close battle, but perhaps due to viewers’ greater familiarity with AT&T’s Lily character, American Telephone and Telegraph emerged victorious, inspiring 794.2k Engagements, 19.4M Impressions, and a Reach of 321.5M. In comparison, Verizon generated 164.3k Engagements, 6.3M Impressions, and a 187.3M Reach.
State Farm Helps Viewers Rest Insured
The Phoenix Suns might not want him anymore, but like a good neighbor, State Farm is still there for Chris Paul.
Having repped State Farm since his Lob City days, Chris Paul and the brand are getting creative with their ads, incorporating new athlete spokespeople (we see you, Arike Ogunbowale) and increasingly surreal premises, such as alternate realities. Suffice it to say that if you ever wanted to see a Hall-of-Fame point guard moonlight as a competitive speed-walker or wear a ridiculous pair of old-school shorts, State Farm has you covered.
Despite being one of the smaller brands in this analysis, State Farm still packed a punch, achieving 219.2k Engagements, 7.3M Impressions, and a Reach of 349.9M. While Chris Paul in the twilight of his career might strike some viewers as a strange choice for a spokesperson, it could be worse—State Farm can rest easy knowing that it didn’t sign any endorsement deals with Ja Morant or Zion Williamson.
Conclusion: The NBA Finals Are for Everybody
Whether you’re a giant in the tech space or the taco space, and whether you’re urging consumers to bet their savings or invest in a prudent life insurance policy, the NBA Finals are an ideal ground for amplifying your brand’s message and reaching a wide audience. As seen from the brands in this analysis, there’s no one way to win.
There is, however, just one way to access these stats and learn which brands are driving the most digital engagement: keeping up with CreatorIQ.
For more of our sports coverage, check out our World Cup, Super Bowl, and March Madness reports. And to learn how CreatorIQ can help your brand reach a wider audience on social media, schedule a demo today.
