B.LEAGUE BRANDING & Launch Campaign
Sports + Lifestyle = Entertainment
B.League is a Japanese national basketball league.
Whilst baseball and soccer leagues have strong brand identities in Japan, basketball leagues had not prioritized branding and communications. B.League aimed to be a pioneer by building a strong and recognizable brand.
This kickstarted with the choice of name and logo design. Intensive research was done, based on insights of what would resonate with basketball followers in Japan and inspire a strong connection.
The name B.LEAGUE was selected, with the tagline “Be anything you want” and the messaging that everyone ‘has the right to dream to B’.
The logo design was decided by a vote of high school students, with this group being one of the most ardent followers of sports leagues. A logo they identified with would have the traction of spreading through stickers, doodling and word-of-mouth.
The messaging was about both the spirit of sports, and the urban street fashion aspect of basketball.
Branded videos were produced for the press announcement. The theme was “My dream”, "Be anything you want” and featured both regular people and professional athletes.
In addition, a B.League fashion label was set-up and a pop-up store installed in Shibuya.
These multiple touchpoint aimed to make people feel that B.League is a part of their lives.
This campaign clocked strong results, with more sponsors than projected coming on board.
Also, the opening game tickets sold out within an hour of going on sale.
