Spain, Italy, South Africa and the UK are just a few of the countries set as destinations for Marriott International’s exciting new customer engagement strategy. In addition to enticing sports fans everywhere with the allure of non-stop professional basketball action, the global hotel brand has formed a partnership with the NBA to allow loyalty program members exclusive access into a host of events.
Marriott’s game plan is to reward guests with once-in-a-lifetime customer experiences. Alongside the aforementioned countries, the initiative will also send Marriott Rewards members to several marquee NBA events in South Africa, China, and various countries across North America.
The entire event will begin in Johannesburg, South Africa, during the 2015 NBA Africa Game. From there it will also include the 2015-16 NBA Global Games and the 2015 NBA Canada Series.
The whole idea is to reward Marriott Rewards members with exclusive events that will generate excitement and create lasting memories, which is a prime goal for many customer experience professionals seeking innovative ways to engage consumers in today’s challenging marketing environment.
It is also a chance for the brand to engage a global community of 50 million sports fans, which is a tremendous amount of potential new customers.
"Basketball is one of the most popular sports in the world, and our partnership with the NBA gives us an opportunity to tap into a passionate fan base and communicate the breadth and depth of our portfolio," said Karin Tim
pone, Global Marketing Officer of Marriott International. "Similar to what we are doing with music and entertainment, our NBA partnership helps us create memorable experiences for our
Rewards members and amplify the benefits of the program for both new and loyal guests."
In addition to simply sending guests and fans to games in various international cities, Marriott Rewards members will also have the opportunity to enter to win tickets to an upcoming NBA global event and participate in exclusive VIP meet-and-greets with current NBA players and past legends.
"For our fans around the world, there is no opportunity more exciting than when live NBA games are played in their home countries," said Emilio Collins, NBA Executive Vice President of Global Marketing Partnerships. "Marriott International is a renowned brand with extensive global operations, and is the ideal partner to help broaden the reach of our games and engage more fans."