Sydney Kings launch 2019/20 NBL season marketing campaign

Ahead of their 2019/20 NBL season opening game in Cairns this weekend, the Sydney Kings have today unveiled their marketing campaign.

Following a transformative off-season for the Club which saw Total Sport and Entertainment (TSE) take over full ownership of the Kings, the additions of a new chief executive, a new Head Coach and some star-studded on-court talent joining the roster - the club has been carefully building its way up to what is set to be the biggest season in history for basketball in NSW.

Committed to not only growing the profile of the club but to growing the sport as a whole in Australia, the Kings have committed to one of the largest advertising campaigns by a sporting team in Australia in any code.

Rise With Us will see the Sydney Kings reaching out across all major channels including print, TV, outdoor, radio and digital.

The campaign is the result of a new partnership with Dentsu who will help to strategically position the Club to drive ticket sales, membership and core revenue targets that will put the Kings in a position to be not only successful this season, but also in the long term.

As part of the campaign, the Kings have commissioned acclaimed ARIA nominated hip-hop artist from Sydney’s South West, L-FRESH The LION, alongside producers Zig Parker and Solo, to create a track that will be part of the TVC. The song and lyrics which were worked on with some of the Kings players encompasses everything that the Kings stand for in Sydney and the local community.

Stating that he is excited about the new direction the club was taking to connect with the entire basketball spectrum that encompasses basketball, music, fashion and media, Sydney Kings Chairman Paul Smith stated “the NBL is the go-ahead sports league in Australia, but we have financial limitations created as there is currently no TV money for clubs. We fully accept that and acknowledge that we have to make every effort to promote The Sydney Kings, and it is critical that we present the Sydney Kings and basketball appropriately.

"Our commercial viability is framed on understanding our fans and delivering them a live game experience that builds their advocacy and drives them to return for the amazing experience that is the Sydney Kings at Qudos Bank Arena. Most importantly we are underpinned by corporate support, and the better job we do engaging our fans and growing the fan base the more value our sponsors will enjoy.

“To have entered into a strategic partnership with Dentsu is a truly fortuitous moment which has allowed us to use best in class agencies across creative and media buying combined with our own long-term experience in marketing sport. I think the outcome is a winning formula for the Kings.

“Everything really locked together when L-FRESH become involved with our campaign, his song WE THE KINGS is the perfect fit and a song we know our fans will connect with. L has a genuine passion for basketball and Sydney's West which means we have a found a person who understands our goals and wants to work with us to achieve success”.

With the likes of Andrew Bogut, Casper Ware Jr and Kevin Lisch all hitting the floor for the purple and gold this season, the extensive campaign puts a spotlight on the already talented roster that Sydney fans can get behind, and get excited about.

The Kings first game of the season tips off this Friday against the Cairns Taipans at 7.30pm AEST. The game will be broadcast on ESPN and SBS On Demand.

Images: The Kings' 'Rise With Us' campaign (top, courtesy of the Sydney Kings) and 2018/19 NBL season action at the Qudos Bank Arena (below).