Spotlight On Sponsors: K-Pop Invades The Sporting World Through New NBA Partnership

K-pop continues to dominate pop culture, this time partnering with the NBA. Meanwhile, Collingwood has secured a new cybersecurity partner and Carlton United Breweries has extended its connection with Gold Coast Suns for another five years.

Welcome back to B&T’s Spotlight on Sponsors series, where we break down all the major sponsorship news from inside the sporting world.

B&T unpacks all the latest news in sports sponsorship below!

NBA x LE SSERAFIM

The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Source Music, a label under global entertainment company HYBE has announced a multi-year collaboration that will see K-pop sensation LE SSERAFIM headline “Friends of the NBA,” the league’s celebrity and influencer program in Asia to engage fans in new and creative ways.

The collaboration between the league and the five-member girl group will celebrate the intersection of sports and music. LE SSERAFIM, an anagram of the words “I’M FEARLESS,” will attend NBA games and events, collaborate on a variety of exclusive content that will be featured on the NBA’s and LE SSERAFIM’s social media channels, participate in league promotional activities and more.

“We’re thrilled to team up with breakout K-pop sensation LE SSERAFIM, a young and dynamic group of NBA fans,” said NBA chief marketing officer Tammy Henault.

“Through this collaboration, we look forward to bringing NBA and K-pop fans together in South Korea, across Asia, and around the world and broadening the reach of our game as we celebrate this convergence of music, culture and sports”.

Collingwood x CyberCX

CyberCX signed a two-year deal with Collingwood FC this week, making it the club’s official Cyber Security partner.

CyberCX x Collingwood

At a time when the major events sector is facing increasing threats from cyber criminals, CyberCX will play an essential role in increasing Collingwood’s cyber security defences and helping to protect the personal details of the Club’s players, staff and fans. The cyber security company will also host informative sessions on cyber safety for staff and players across AFL and AFLW to help improve their personal cyber security practices.

“This partnership unites Australia’s leading cyber security company with the country’s largest sporting team at a time when the global sporting sector faces an increasingly hazardous cyber threat landscape,” said CyberCX CEO John Paitaridis. 

“Together, we are reinforcing our shared commitment to helping the sports sector and our communities stay cyber safe”.

Gold Coast Suns x Carlton United Breweries

Carlton United Breweries (CUB) has had a strong connection with the Gold Coast SUNS AFL team since its inception in 2011. A new deal signed this week will extend the partnership for more than 18 years and solidify the brewery’s status as the pack-and-tap beer of choice at People First Stadium.

 

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“CUB has been a huge supporter of our club since the very beginning, so we’re delighted to extend this partnership through until 2028,” said Gold Coast SUNS chief executive, Mark Evans.

“The iconic Power’s brand has been synonymous with Queensland sporting success, which we aim to produce on-field in 2024 and beyond. We’ll raise a glass of Power’s to the five-year partnership extension”.

Golf Australia x New Era

Golf Australia has teamed up with New Era for a new three-year partnership that will see the apparel brand become the Official Headwear Partner across Australian golf’s peak bodies — Golf Australia and the PGA of Australia, as well as an official partner of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia and WPGA Tour of Australasia. The partnership also includes Australia’s three biggest Tour events — the ISPS HANDA Australian Open, Australian PGA Championship and Vic Open.

“New Era has a global reach in the game of golf and now is an exciting time for New Era to expand that to include Australia. New Era looks forward to working with Golf Australia, the PGA of Australia and WPGA Tour of Australasia to innovate and grow the headwear program with our unique sports lifestyle DNA,” said New Era Cap Australia general manager Simon Hibbs.

New Era is no stranger to the professional sports sponsorship world. It is already the official on-field headwear partner of several sporting bodies, including the MLB, NBA, and NFL.

South Sydney Rabbitohs x Redspot Car Rentals

Redspot was this week named the Official Car Rental Service Partner for the South Sydney Rabbitohs NRL team for the 2024 season. The deal will see Redspot engage with the club across digital channels and offer Rabbitohs Members unique benefits as part of the partnership.

“Just as we at the Rabbitohs have a focus on our Members and providing them with a strong connection to their Club, Redspot has a similar focus on their customers and providing them with exceptional service on every occasion,” said Rabbitohs CEO Blake Solly.