The Chicago Bulls | Digital Advertising Strategy

JP Mallari, Digital Marketing Strategist, Chicago Bulls

THE CLIENT

Chicago Bulls

Industry

Professional Sports

Location

USA

The Chicago Bulls is an iconic NBA basketball team. Winner of six NBA championships and home to many legendary players, the Bulls’ brand is recognized globally.

The Challenge

Obtaining digital marketing expertise

As the Senior Director of the United Center’s Premium Seating Operations, Valerie Tanaka saw it was time to adapt to industry trends and enhance the user experience by implementing new digital sales channels for the arena’s luxury suites.

The Bulls wanted a specialized direct response agency with expertise in paid social, paid search and display advertising. In addition, they wanted transparency, to see what was happening in their accounts and own all of the historic data going forward. Ideally, they wanted an agency that would be an extension of their team and that they could partner with on strategy and day-to-day account management.

Performance was also important, of course. The Bulls wanted an agency that would not only surpass ROAS goals but continually strive to improve advertising ROI.

As a result of these challenges, the Bulls started to search for a digital advertising partner.

We didn’t want a “set it and forget it” partner. We wanted an agency that’s always looking to uplevel performance—and ideally one that understands our business and are sports fans themselves.

The solution

Maximize ROAS and ticket sales with a responsive advertising partner

The Bulls started their search in the Chicago market. They soon found Matchnode, a digital advertising agency that specializes in direct response via paid social, paid search, and display ads.

Matchnode immediately gave them the transparency they wanted by setting up their advertising campaigns in the Bulls’ own accounts.

Matchnode also prioritized communication to facilitate a closer working relationship with the team’s digital department. The agency set up a Slack channel for real time responsiveness in addition to weekly calls. As a result, each digital team member could provide input and get quick answers to their questions.

They also benefited from Matchnode’s close relationship with Facebook, getting early access to Facebook betas, new features and creative services. Matchnode even brought Facebook in to meet directly with the Bulls’ Digital, Creative & Video team at the United Center to plan campaign creatives.

As a result of these efforts, Matchnode and the Bulls respond to real time events as they happen (which is almost every day for an NBA team!), and do it in a way that’s both strategic and highly interactive. If a player has a big game and scores 50 points, for example, they can create and run ads to capitalize on the moment. This real-time responsiveness wouldn’t have been possible without the close working relationship between the two entities.

The Bulls also appreciate Matchnode’s constant drive for better results. The agency is continually testing and optimizing campaigns, and even as one marketing approach gets traction, it rolls out another.

If a player has a big game and scores 50 points, we can create and run ads to capitalize on the moment. This real-time responsiveness wouldn’t be possible without our close working relationship with Matchnode.

The result

A 215% increase in revenue from digital advertising

After onboarding with Matchnode, the Bulls saw a 215 percent increase in digital marketing revenue, which translated into a 72 percent increase in year-over-year ROAS efficiency. The Bulls have also recommended Matchnode to other professional sports teams and businesses.Today, Matchnode continues to exceed the Bulls expectations, and they consider them an extension of their digital team.

Matchnode not only does great work, they’re also great to work with. They do everything they can to make the relationship seamless and painless.

THE AD CREATIVE

Use paid social marketing to drive revenue for your business.