NBA × AYMI

The NBA had two parallel growth challenges: a maturing domestic fanbase where every additional engagement point was hard-won, and high-growth international markets where the league was a relatively new entrant against entrenched sports.

The brief was one program, two operating models — domestic depth and international breadth — measured against one another, not against themselves.

Five movements: Discovery, Strategy, Creative, Launch, Optimize. Each one feeds the next; the loop closes on Optimize and starts again on Discovery.

1. Step 01Discovery

   Two-track audience modeling: domestic depth (frequency, ARPU, app engagement) and international breadth (reach, share-of-fan, conversion to fandom).

2. Step 02Strategy

   Same brand, two operating systems. Domestic optimized to deepen engagement; international optimized to acquire fandom.

3. Step 03Creative

   Editorial-grade player storytelling for both tracks; regional crossover content engineered for international markets where domestic stars were less familiar.

4. Step 04Launch

   Coordinated rollout across social, streaming, app, and merchandise. International expansion paired with localized merch drops timed to regional matches.

5. Step 05Optimize

   Two scoreboards. Domestic measured on engagement depth and ARPU; international measured on reach and conversion-to-fandom. Spend allocated against the right scoreboard.

Digital engagement lifted 420% across the program with merchandise revenue up 280% — and international reach scaled 3.5×, validating the two-track operating model. App engagement climbed 165% as the domestic depth play landed. Fan-to-subscriber conversion grew 72%.

The NBA now plans growth as two motions running in concert — not one motion stretched thin.