NEW YORK, Nov. 20, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Diageo, the world's
leading premium drinks business, and the National Basketball
Association (NBA) today announced a new multiyear marketing
partnership that will make Diageo the exclusive spirits partner of
the league. Diageo brands Ciroc® and Crown Royal® will be
integrated into marketing initiatives across the NBA and NBA
Development League (NBA D-League), with Diageo conducting
activities under the Baileys brand with the Women's National
Basketball Association (WNBA).
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The NBA provides a powerful platform for Diageo to create
initiatives that communicate the importance of celebrating life
responsibly. Both Ciroc and Crown Royal will work closely
with the league to create innovative new programming to remind fans
to drink responsibly.
"Our brands have the unique privilege of participating in some
of life's greatest celebratory moments the world over and what
better partner to bring those moments to life than the NBA," said
Peter McDonough, Chief Marketing and
Innovation Officer, Diageo. "From the players and competition to
fashion, music and nightlife, the NBA opens the door for us to
leave a lasting impression with adult fans in truly innovative and
meaningful ways around the game."
As part of this partnership, Crown Royal will further drive its
"Reign On" campaign, now in its second year, by providing fans
access to players through unique video content on digital and
broadcast channels. A multi-part video series titled "On Point"
will debut on TNT and feature television personality Terrence J
exploring game-changing NBA moments and unique aspects of the NBA
lifestyle.
"Our new marketing partnership with Diageo will showcase the
celebration around the NBA's most extraordinary moments, both on
and off the court," said Mark Tatum,
NBA Executive Vice President, Global Marketing Partnerships.
"Storytelling about our game and our players is critical to
broadening our reach and we're excited to work with Diageo to
create content that we know will resonate with our fans."
Fans will also be able to watch the most exciting moments during
the season through a new digital series, "Reigning Moments of the
Week presented by Crown Royal," that will air on NBA Game
Time on NBA TV and NBA.com. This weekly series will culminate
with two "Reigning Moments" specials that will air during the
season on NBA TV. Crown Royal will also extend this series
and introduce a "Crown Royal Reigning Moments" digital series
for the NBA D-League.
Additionally, Ciroc will have a strong presence at NBA All-Star
2014, a global celebration of basketball in New Orleans in February. At NBA
All-Star, Ciroc will be hosting a Ciroc-branded lounge and will
serve as the presenting partner of Club ene-be-a, an official party
and celebration, that features live musical performances by
renowned Latin artists.
Through this partnership, Diageo, Crown Royal and Ciroc will
have a significant presence during NBA national game telecasts on
ABC, ESPN and TNT, as well as NBA TV and NBA.com. Diageo will also
release NBA-themed television advertising, packaging and
point-of-sale materials at retail.
For the WNBA, Baileys will showcase inspiring stories from
around the league on WNBA.com and will also serve as a Gold level
partner of the WNBA Inspiring Women Luncheon.
About Diageo
Diageo is the world's leading premium drinks business with an
outstanding collection of beverage alcohol brands across spirits,
beer and wine. These brands include Johnnie
Walker, Crown Royal, J&B, Windsor, Buchanan's and Bushmills whiskies, Smirnoff,
Ciroc and Ketel One vodkas, Baileys, Captain Morgan, Tanqueray and
Guinness.
Diageo is a global company, with its products sold in more than
180 countries around the world. The company is listed on both the
New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (DGE).
For more information about Diageo, its people, brands, and
performance, visit us at Diageo.com. For our global resource that
promotes responsible drinking through the sharing of best practice
tools, information and initiatives, visit DRINKiQ.com.
About the NBA
The NBA is a global sports and media
business built around three professional sports leagues: the
National Basketball Association, the Women's National Basketball
Association, and the NBA Development League. The league has
established a major international presence with games and
programming in 215 countries and territories in 47 languages and
NBA merchandise for sale in more than 125,000 stores in 100
countries on 6 continents. NBA rosters currently feature a record
92 international players from 39 countries and territories. NBA
Digital's assets include NBA TV, which is available in more than 61
million U.S. homes, and NBA.com, which averages more than 42
million page views per day, more than half of which originate from
outside of North America. The NBA
is the No. 1 professional sports league on social media, with more
than 475 million likes and followers globally across all league,
team, and player platforms.
Contact:
Kim Mandara, NBA, (212) 407-8158, kmandara@nba.com
Mike DaRe, Diageo North America,
646-223-2016, Mike.DaRe@diageo.com
SOURCE Diageo