Sports Media Report
The NBA 2K League is teaming up with live entertainment and brand experience company Superfly to bring an exciting new look and marketing approach to the 4th annual NBA 2K League Draft.
Due to the pandemic, the 2021 NBA 2K League Draft is moving to a virtual environment, a big shift from the in-person drafts the league has hosted in years prior. In order to drive awareness, viewership, and expand the 2K League fan community, Superfly is creating an interactive, engaging experience and digital campaign that highlights both influencer partnerships and innovative fan engagement.
“The NBA 2K League Draft brings together the best of the best in the league,” said Eric Ginsberg, Senior Director, Business Leadership, Superfly. “We’re excited to tap into this incredible fan community, adding additional bespoke elements to the draft we think will be crowd pleasers and will make it a not-to-be-missed digital experience.”
Top social media influencers across gaming, basketball and pop culture will have an active role in the draft broadcast this year. These influencers will leverage their platforms to promote the partnership, their role, and drive their highly-engaged communities to tune into the draft. Participating talent include:
Druski – The Instagram comedian and sports fan will be emceeing the 2KL Pick Up Game that will occur mid-draft.
AnnoyingTV – This popular YouTube personality will be co-streaming the draft on his channel, providing his commentary throughout the event.
Overtime Megan – The TikTok basketball fan will be one of seven influencers participating in the ‘Virtual VIP Lounge’, a dedicated stream of draft analysis and conversations.
Killa Kay – The TikTok and Instagram comedian will also be participating in the ‘Virtual VIP Lounge’ along with Overtime Megan.
Superfly is handling the creative and influencer strategy, including liaising on the production element of the event. They are managing the participating talent as well as creating the content and scripts for them.
Additionally, Superfly is developing custom digital background graphics to give fans an elevated, interactive viewing experience. Fans will be able to influence what they’ll see on the live broadcast.
Through voting via a poll on Twitch both before and during the draft, fans will choose a background to place the NBA 2K League President, Brendan Donohue, in as he announces the latest draft picks. Options include a circuit board, Mars, the beach, and the city.
Using Twitch’s command center, the NBA 2K League is able to provide draft viewers the option to tune into secondary viewing experiences on channels hosted by influencers from the 2K League community and beyond, featuring color commentary on the draft, gameplay, and more.
These include the ‘Virtual VIP Lounge’ channel, where Overtime Megan and Killa Kay will be participating, and ‘2KL Draft Pickup’ channel, which will host a 2K pickup game featuring draftees, league personalities, and influencers. This is the event that Druski is emceeing.
The 2021 NBA 2K League Draft will take place on Saturday, March 13 at 7 p.m. ET and livestreamed on the NBA 2K League’s Twitch and YouTube channels.
