NBA Working Session

Nothing substantial changed from the Q4 brief, other than media strategy planning.
Eleven-year partnership remains intact.
Target audiences categorized as:
- Primary: Avid fans (view 16+ games/season)
- Secondary: Casual fans
- Tertiary: Light/non-regular season viewers (playoff audiences)
Prioritized audience strategy remains:
- Regular season: Focus on avid fans, particularly non-tentpole games.
- Tentpole games: Target higher audience engagement, including casual fans for events like IST Tournament and Black Friday.
- Playoff audiences become critical, making up a significant viewership opportunity.

Differentiation between avid viewers of the NBA and fans overall.
Characteristics of target demographics:
- Avid viewers: Predominantly older, male, and white.
- Casual fans: Younger demographics, more gender-diverse, multi-ethnic.
In Q4 media strategy, segments two and three combined due to behavioral similarities.

Regular Season (Q1)
- Aim to engage primarily avid fans.
- Light casual audiences become more important as playoffs approach.
Playoffs (Q2)
- Casual audience engagement crucial; they comprise 73% of the total viewership potential.
- Focus on maximizing media pressure during playoffs.
- Expectations of media creation will be less specific to matchups until closer to games.

Upcoming creative strategies will largely highlight game promotions rather than branding due to time constraints.
Set up tax IDs for anticipating brand spots separate from day-to-day creative to facilitate ease of finance tracking.
Branding messages and strategies may evolve as the season progresses, with a focus on immediate tuning efforts rather than in-depth branding.

Significant playoff-related timelines discussed:
- Playoff matchups will only be confirmed close to the season's end.
- Scheduling divided more fluidly among participating channels (NBA, NBC, ESPN).
- Turnaround times for creatives expected to be quick due to uncertain matchups.

Rough budget allocation discussed:
- $28 million target for ATL spend split into:
- $8 million for the regular season
- $20 million for playoffs
Need for a discussion on adaptation of budgets from earlier recommendations,
- Encourage team to advocate for increased media spends when necessary.
Marketing strategy focuses on transitioning viewers from being casual to consistent NBA streaming viewers.

Emphasis on having a robust experimentation design:
- Proposed 30% population holdout for insights running January and March.
- Dark weeks contemplated to study impacts of reduced media spending.
Key insights from Q4 to influence the design of Q1 and Q2 media strategies, guiding effective deployment of budgets and channels based on performance and response.

Revisit previous audience insights and metrics for strategic planning:
- Understanding viewer profiles' shifts through the long NBA season (e.g., fall vs. playoff viewers).
- Important to align spend with their viewer reach and frequency goals.
Focus on gathering historical viewership data to inform future spending and audience engagement initiatives.

Keep audience engagement and viewership maximization as primary objectives.
Stay responsive to shifts in viewership behavior and prepare adaptable marketing strategies.
Weekly planning should accommodate both high-paced playoff engagement and explore avenues for experimentation during lower-activity periods.
Anticipate future crossover opportunities with events like NCAA March Madness and Olympics; explore potential tied promotions or campaigns but align with viewership trends and goals to ensure value.

Complete audience analysis for Q1 and Q2, presenting findings in the forthcoming meeting.
Establish clear timelines for budget allocations and partnership discussions moving forward.
Schedule follow-up discussions to assess the progress of proposed media and branding strategies for ongoing adjustment.