Mumbai: It all began in December 2018, when the world’s most popular professional Basketball league, the National Basketball Association (NBA) announced that it will bring two preseason games to India in October 2019; making it the first North American Sports league to foray into the country.
While India was gearing up to witness history in the making with Sacramento Kings taking on Indiana Pacers in Mumbai, the NBA fans at the DDB Mudra Group saw an opportunity to make fellow Indians not just enjoy the first-ever NBA games in India, but also become a part of the NBA experience.
After a challenging, pro-active pitch process of over a month, DDB Mudra Group joined the fold as NBA’s creative partners for the NBA India Games 2019. The brief was simple. Make NBA Games the biggest talking point in India.
The task at hand for the team was to challenge the existing perception of the NBA amongst Indians.
To tackle this, the team decided to focus on the social currency of the event in India, on the back of the bold cultural experience that the NBA brought along with it. To create a sporting spectacle while building a community, coded with culture. To introduce India to the complete NBA experience.
Thus was conceived, #NBAInMyBackyard. A multi-channel experience designed for the Basketball enthusiasts in India. A celebration of NBA’s India takeover through a complete cultural experience.
For the first-time ever, the NBA is coming to Indian backyards, and the agency wanted to welcome it with a film that’s larger than life as the game itself. A film that would live up to the adrenaline-pumping, gravity-defying and jaw-dropping spectacle that NBA truly is.
This thought was brought to life by showcasing an epic game between giant balloon players
of Sacramento Kingsand Indiana Pacers being controlled and manoeuvred by an army of fans on the ground, through some of the most iconic backyards in Mumbai.
And in the process, showcased the crazy energy, madness and fervour that the NBA will bring to our backyards.
Following the digital and television release of the film, the campaign is being furthered with a print and an outdoor leg where #NBAInMyBackyard is being brought to life by showcasing larger than life shots of popular players from Sacramento Kings and Indiana Pacers, playing ball in some of the most iconic backyards in Mumbai.
And this is just the beginning. The campaign includes multiple, real-life community experiences which are sure to keep Mumbai and the rest of India glued to the NBA experience with #NBAInMyBackyard.
Speaking about the campaign, Rahul Mathew, National Creative Director, DDB Mudra Group said, “Everything about the NBA and Basketball as a game is very inclusive. A hoop and a ball is a game that you can play with friends or even alone. The game and the fashion around it is as much a part of the street as it’s a part of the court. And that’s what we sought to capture with NBA in my backyard. It’s also the first time the game is physically coming to the Indian backyard. We wanted to launch with something that marries this inclusivity with the larger-than-life excitement of the game.”
Agency credits:
Creative: Rahul Mathew, Ashish Phatak, Shagun Seda, Manish Darji, Prasad Rao, Arcot Rahul, Vikram Shah, Mahima Mathur, Utkarsh Chilla
Account Planning: Amit Kekre, Ketan Rambhia
Business Management: Sanjay Panday, MousumiHaldar, AnishkaAlvares, DarsheelKhagram
Films: Vishal Sane, Jay Gaikwad
Production House: The Wired Society
