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BNZ expands support for Kiwi basketball with new campaign
BNZ is doubling down on basketball, becoming the first principal partner of community coaching for Basketball New Zealand.
Through the partnership, BNZ is committed to reaching 20,000 community coaches, so more kids can get on court.
The move builds on the bank’s existing partnership with Basketball New Zealand, which began with its sponsorship of the BNZ Kiwi Hoops programme.
Developed by Colenso BBDO and Hearts & Science, the previous campaign featured an unimpressed NBA legend Russell Westbrook, who asked BNZ to stop, fearing those kids would grow up to dunk on him.
Since then, more than 90,000 kids have taken to the court through BNZ Kiwi Hoops, and the partnership with Basketball New Zealand was recently awarded Commercial Partnership of the Year at the New Zealand Sport and Recreation Awards.
Invest even more in the game
Amy Phillips, BNZ marketing and design general manager, says: “Basketball’s popularity continues to grow at a rapid pace, and the next challenge is building the coaching bench so that our tamariki have access to the sport.
“There’s a generational barrier at play. A lot of us grew up playing rugby, netball or cricket, and there’s a perception that you need to have played basketball in order to coach it. With the tools and resources we’re making available alongside Basketball New Zealand, you don’t need to be a baller to be a great coach.”
While Westbrook has already urged BNZ to stop investing in young Kiwi ballers, the bank hasn’t listened. In the latest campaign, Westbrook says he’s “switching tack” and appears to enthusiastically back BNZ’s coaching commitment – but the endorsement is laced with sarcasm.
Hadleigh Sinclair, Colenso BBDO group creative director, says: “Russell knows better than most what New Zealanders are capable of when they throw their full weight behind basketball.
“So, when BNZ decided to invest even more in the game by helping more New Zealanders realise they’ve got what it takes to coach, it felt only right to check back in and see what he thought.”
The integrated campaign went live on July 5 across TV, cinema, OOH, social, digital, owned and internal channels.
