NBA ALL-STAR WEEKEND REACHES RECORD FOR AD SALES

Turner reaches sellout level for basketball weekend

A powerhouse ad market and double-digit ratings gains primed the pump for a quick sellout of TNT’s 2011 NBA All-Star Game Weekend.

As evidenced by a swell of automotive, beer and movie dollars, demand for a piece of pro basketball’s annual celebration of itself was so great that Turner Sports has raked in an estimated $36.5 million in All-Star ad sales, a leap of 25 percent versus last year’s take.

“This is probably the strongest sports marketplace in history,” said Jon Diament, Turner Sports evp, ad sales and marketing, adding that NBA on TNT dollars are up 30 percent.

Tipping off Sunday, Feb. 20, TNT’s All-Star Game telecast will be presented by Kia Motors for the second year. Sibling auto nameplate Hyundai also reprises its 2010 positioning, repeating as the presenting sponsor of the postgame show. Other auto brands buying :30s during in-game coverage are Acura, Chrysler and Ford.

As expected, beer and spirits are well represented, with Anheuser-Busch InBev shooting it out with rival MillerCoors. London-based Diageo, producer of Smirnoff, Johnnie Walker and Guinness, has also bought time in the telecast.

While sagging entertainment ratings and sports’ imperviousness to the DVR have marketers shifting dollars to live events, Diament said the power of the All-Star Game lies in status and versatility.

“We don’t care if the money is falling out from somewhere else,” he added. “Along with all the star power, what makes the weekend so attractive is that it offers so many opportunities for us to create extra value for our clients.”

After a 10 percent drop last year, fans are expected to return in droves to the 2011 All-Star Game. Through 34 NBA telecasts, TNT is up 16 percent to 2.36 million viewers this season.

Undefeated x NBA All-Star Game x adidas Originals “All Star 2011″ Forum Mid

Undefeated is rather busy these days between new collaborative product and the upcoming NBA All-Star Game. Here we take a first detailed look at their collaboration with adidas Originals on the “All Star 2011″ Forum Mid. The black/white mid top sneaker comes with a suede upper and star details, not hiding its inspiration. The Undefeated 5-Strike logo appears on the in-sole, with further hints on the in-sole and ankle strap paying tribute to the players. The sneaker will be released on February 19th at Undefeated.

Further images of the sneakers follow after the jump.

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IT'S ABOUT TO GO DIGITAL: ADIDAS FOCUSES MORE ON DIGITAL MEDIA WITH DWIGHT HOWARD

Every company wants its online videos to go viral, but few companies go so far as to actually give consumers an incentive for sharing. Adidas, however, is doing exactly that in a highly interactive push to promote its lightest-ever footwear and apparel lines over NBA All–Star Weekend.

The marketer will be airing a 30-second spot starring NBA star Dwight Howard that will encourage viewers to visit its website and YouTube channel, where they can access more content featuring Mr. Howard, including one video that will gradually unlock to reveal more content of the player the more times it's shared.

Adidas has also created a "Subservient Chicken"-style video of Mr. Howard dunking that shows him jumping as high (or as low) as consumers choose via a gaming-style grid control. (It's not easy to secure Mr. Howard's highest leap, however, and users who can't will get to watch him miss a dunk; if you manage to select the highest point on the grid, you get to see some of the jaw-dropping agility for which Mr. Howard is known.) A third video lets viewers watch one of Mr. Howard's dunks from five different angles.

A YouTube spokesman said Adidas is the first marketer to tie access to content to the number of views a video draws on its service. "What we liked about what Adidas did is that they actually gave it a viral component," he said. "It's something new to say, 'We'll give you some interesting content, and, if you share it, we'll give you even more.'"

Ryan Morlan, director-global basketball communications for Adidas, said the company was looking to give consumers an incentive to share its content. "You can't just drop it out there and hope," he said. "You need a strategy. Every advertiser will tell you that building interactive content isn't easy, but, if you're going to really break through, you need to do it in a fresh way."

Agencies 180, Los Angeles, and Riot, Amsterdam, are behind the effort.