BETHESDA, MD—Marriott International is continuing its relationship with the National Basketball Association (NBA) to serve as the official sponsor of several events, including the NBA China Games 2017, the NBA Mexico City Games 2017, the NBA London Game 2018 and the NBA All-Star Game 2018 in Los Angeles.
More than 100 million members of Marriott’s loyalty programs will be able to redeem points for everything from basketball-themed experiences with current players and legends of the game, to exclusive access to highly sought-after NBA games and events. These experiences will be available to members on the Marriott Rewards Moments and SPG Moments platforms. In addition, select Elite members will enjoy hosted, elevated VIP access and experiences at marquee NBA games and events.
In October, the Minnesota Timberwolves will take on the Golden State Warriors in two pre-season games in China. The first game will take place in Shenzhen on October 5, with a rematch scheduled for October 8 in Shanghai. The Brooklyn Nets will face the Oklahoma City Thunder on December 7 and the Miami Heat on December 9 in this year’s NBA Mexico City Games. On January 11, the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics will battle in front of fans during a regular season game at the O2 Arena in London. The partnership will culminate with the highly anticipated NBA All-Star 2018 in Los Angeles, where Marriott will activate during Friday night’s Rising Stars Challenge, NBA All-Star Saturday night presented by State Farm, and the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday.
The partnership extension follows a sponsorship of the NBA Africa Game 2017, which took place at the Ticketpro Dome in Johannesburg, South Africa, where Team World played Team Africa to benefit several charitable organizations in Africa, such as Unicef, Nelson Mandela Foundation, and SOS Children’s Villages South Africa. Elite members across Marriott Rewards and SPG in Johannesburg were hosted at the game and received a private meet and greet with NBA players Andre Drummond and Kemba Walker. In addition, one loyalty member and her guest won an experience, which featured an all-expenses-paid trip from her hometown of Vancouver to South Africa. This VIP experience during the game included a photo on the court with star center Joel Embiid. Her trip also included a four-night stay at the Protea Hotel Kruger Gate and two-day African safari in Kruger Gate National Park. The activation was inspired by Marriott’s integrated You Are Here advertising campaign, developed by Grey Worldwide, which chronicles the stories of actual loyalty members that are emotional, meaningful and inspirational to travelers everywhere. One television spot from the campaign featured Marriott Rewards member and photographer Toli Kanaris, as he sets out from one of Marriott’s Protea hotels on an African safari with his camera in hand.
Marriott’s global partnership with the NBA began in 2015. To date, thousands of loyalty members have been hosted at NBA events across the globe, including USA Basketball events in Los Angeles and Chicago, as well as NBA House in Rio de Janeiro last summer.