By @TheDailyPayoff
You have to give it to DraftKings for looking high and low to find not just the bigger partnerships, but the most creative niche ones to draw attention in their Mano a Mano battle with Fan Duel as leaders in daily pay sports fantasy.
It’s latest partnership came Tuesday, when DK joined forces with another “disruptor” in sports, the Boston-based, The Basketball Tournament (TBT), a single-elimination, five-on-five, winner-take-all, open-application tournament.
The pair joined forces to come up with a promotional partnership for their 2015 event, which runs in July and August on ESPN (another DraftKings partner by the way). One of the 96 teams will get some elite status as being the “official” DK entry in the field.
Here’s how it works according to the press release: In order to win the DraftKings sponsorship, teams and their fans will compete in a DraftKings daily fantasy game centered on the NBA Conference Finals. Whichever fan or TBT participant wins the contest will also win a premium experience for himself or herself, a guest, and each member of his or her team.
The DraftKings sponsorship package includes travel to a region of the team’s choice, DraftKings-sponsored uniforms, and an apparel package from other official TBT providers, including Rock ‘Em Socks and iSlides. The uniform sponsorship represents a first for DraftKings and a first for TBT as well.
The interesting aspect of the partnership is its ties to the play in the NBA Conference Finals. This way a wide number of the participants ( 96 teams in the field when it is unveiled) makes for a solid growth pattern for a sport – hoops – that is not as much in the DK sweet spot as say baseball or the NFL. It also gives DK visibility in July when fans might be away from pay fantasy and are getting ready to gear up for NFL, which remains the big money area for pay fantasy.
“Our business is built around the passion of sports fans. The idea that anyone can build and be part of a championship team in The Basketball Tournament aligns perfectly with our DFS offering,” said Jeremy Elbaum, Vice President of Business Development at DraftKings in the release. “At DraftKings, any given day someone could skillfully create the perfect line-up and become a millionaire.”
In 2015, The Basketball Tournament will have 96 teams playing for a winner-take-all prize of $1 million. Opening rounds begin July 10-12 at regional sites in Los Angeles and Atlanta and continue July 17-19 in Chicago and Philadelphia with the winners playing down to an August 2 final in New York. ESPN’s platforms will carry a bulk of the early round games, with the semi-finals and finals airing live on ESPN as previously reported.
The question looms will this type of promotion change the game for Draft Kings? No. However like some of their other niche partnerships they are showing creativity and flexibility that brings casual sports fans to their platform and helps increase brand loyalty overall. Every time they touch a fan in a sport they are interested, they have a chance at conversion and for sure anyone interested in TBT is a core hoops fan or participant. It is low cost, with a chance at solid impact for DraftKings, and a nice talking point for an event looking to find its footing, a solid bet on a partnership for all involved.