mobileStorm Helps NBA Connect With FansThanks in part to mobileStorm, basketball fans can now receive phone calls from some of their favorite NBA stars.

A new campaign on the NBA\’s site (www.nba.com/matchups) lets sports enthusiasts create \”Matchups\” between their favorite players. Fans can then sign up to receive messages – via voice, SMS, or email – reminding them when those two players will tip off against each other. These reminders will be sent the morning of the game, giving the time, teams and channel scheduled for the matchup.

I\’m betting that supporters of players like Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns and Caron Butler of the Washington Wizards will be stoked to get pre-recorded voice calls from them, telling them exactly when and where the game will be shown! But giving fans the choice of message is smart. Some may like all the details that can be provided in an email, and others may want to receive a text message alerting them to tune in.

The Matchup campaign was conceived by Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, the NBA\’s advertising agency of record, which has been leading the industry in online marketing and branded content. mobileStorm implemented the backend technology.
The application proves that even the most detailed marketing campaign can be managed, as long as the marketer uses the right platform. The main reason this works so well is because of the targeting, or segmentation, that is being done behind the scenes. As we noted in an earlier blog post, targeting is about making sure that content is relevant to the receiver. This enables fans to get information that pertains only to the player Matchup they requested versus a more generic message that might not be as well received.

mobileStorm and NBATargeting also alleviates some technical challenges with an application like this. With 60 players to choose from, the umpteen possible Matchup combinations could have become too unwieldy to input into a database. But Stun! let the client set up targeted groups based on these possibilities in advance. Thus, when someone created a dream Matchup, that person\’s information was automatically added to the database – and group. So the morning of a game, Stun! helps ensure that the right notice is sent to the right people.

Of course, the fair-weather fan might become irritated if a favorite player crapped out during a game, and may decide not to receive further messages. mobileStorm fully supports the industry best practice of having opt-out instructions in every marketing email or text sent. In addition, in this campaign, voice subscribers can simply \”press 3\” on their handsets to unsubscribe.

Luckily, most sports buffs support their teams and players through thick and thin. (I\’m a Cleveland native and also lived in Tampa Bay for many years, so I know!) The majority of them will probably have fun creating their dream Matchups, and will appreciate being reminded of an anticipated game. As Caron Butler says in one of his voice recordings: \”Holla!\”

Eydie Cubarrubia
Marketing Communications Manager, mobileStorm
\”I\’d rather you text me\”