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It's a Whole New Ballgame for 'NBA 2K'
The brand seeks to play in broader hoops culture
NBA 2K cover stars Victor Wembanyama, Caitlin Clark and Derrick Rose are all hoops, all the time. Care to join them?
That pretty much sums up the video game’s message in fresh work dropping this week from Goodby Silverstein & Partners.
“NBA 2K isn’t a title that ships in September and then goes quiet,” Leah Barash, the brand’s senior marketing director, tells Muse. “We’re a live service game that runs 24/7, and our ambition and volume of work go up every single year.”
With that in mind, “We built the world around the idea that basketball obsession never shuts off: Glowing courts, neon signs, a city alive after dark, shot clocks and countdowns creating an always-on energy.”
Such imagery powers the push, which intentionally plays like a league tip-off effort, rather than a gaming promo, as the title with surging sales seeks to embed itself even deeper into the culture. Streetwear, kicks and court slang help define the broader basketball experience. NBA 2K wants to join them.
To that end, the media plan leverages most major video and social platforms for maximum scalability and appeal.
“It’s something we—and our audience—actually live. Basketball is in us every second of the day–’Ball Over Everything,'” says GS&P creative director Jeff Fang . “We’re watching NBA and WNBA games, debating the GOAT, scrolling highlights, running pickup, thinking about the next game. We’re obsessed with ball. And when there’s no game to watch or court to play on, NBA 2K becomes the sanctuary for ball.”
“We threw out the traditional launch playbook because we wanted to give basketball-obsessed fans as much as possible,” Fang says. “Instead of building everything around one :60, we approached the campaign more like a mixtape: 30 unique pieces of content, dropping day after day. That meant a month-long production spanning eight shoot days, five cities and more than 10 NBA and WNBA athletes.”
That format, he says, gave each athlete a chance to highlight their specific relationship with basketball—”the mentality, competition and community that fuel their obsession. And because so many of them genuinely play 2K, some of the best moments happened when the cameras were simply capturing them being fans.”
“One of our favorites was watching Tyrese Haliburton light up when he learned NBA 2K27 was adding MyCareer Eras. Those moments made the whole thing feel less like athletes appearing in an ad and more like hoopers geeking out about ball with other hoopers.”
Related: Nike Says: Caitlin Clark Can Make It ‘From Anywhere’
