This year, the 67th N.B.A. All-Star Game came to Los Angeles for the sixth time, bringing with it a busy weekend’s worth of sponsor activations, celebrity-filled parties, and sporting events.
The main event took place Sunday night at the Staples Center. Teams led by N.B.A. stars LeBron James and Stephen Curry battled it out (Team LeBron came out victorious), while singer Fergie gave a controversial rendition of the National Anthem. For the thousands of people descending on downtown Los Angeles, though, another highlight of the weekend was the brand activations and events that gave them a chance to mingle with basketball’s best.
From an Instagram-friendly American Express activation to a trendy two-night bash for Jack Daniel’s to a three-story Mountain Dew television studio, here’s how brands took over the city for a weekend of basketball-theme events.
Guests entered the space to find a series of neon backboards that utilized 220 feet of LED lighting and 1,700 feet of wiring. Further into the experience was a 25-foot tunnel crafted from 1,100 pieces of wood from a basketball court.
Throughout the weekend, American Express hosted a free, open-to-the-public pop-up on South Hope Street, a few blocks from L.A. Live. The multi-sensory activation, dubbed the American Express Experience, featured several interactive rooms and installations. “Los Angeles is a really important market for us, and we wanted to bring together basketball and art and music in a lot of different ways,” explained Lisa Kahn, the director of global partnership strategy, teams, and venues at American Express. Momentum Worldwide worked on the activation.
Through the portal was the main room, which had 18 crystal chandeliers crafted from basketball hoops. Design studio the Other Half used over 9,000 crystals for the installation.
A golden vault tied into American Express’s long partnership with the Los Angeles Lakers. A 500-pound door led to a room with 500 safety deposit boxes and 30 gallons of gold paint. Valuable Lakers possessions were displayed, and iconic players such as Shaquille O’Neal posed for photo ops.
In a gif booth, guests could dunk underneath an exploding backboard. Another social-media friendly installation was an infinity cube by artist Dave Cicirelli that displayed images of shoes, hoops, court lines, and other basketball-theme images.
On Friday evening, recording artist Kendrick Lamar performed live from the N.B.A. on TNT American Express Road Show stage at L.A. Live’s Microsoft Square. The sold-out concert was exclusively for American Express card members, and ticket proceeds were donated to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles. A star-shaped stage was set up for the event.
In addition to sponsoring the weekend’s Rising Stars game, Mountain Dew created a weekend-long public activation to launch the brand’s two new flavors of Mountain Dew Kickstart, as well as to celebrate partnerships with Kevin Hart, Russell Westbrook, Kyrie Irving, and others. The beverage brand teamed up with Denver-based creative agency Motive to build a three-story studio made from shipping containers.
“We created a multi-level experience—called Mountain Dew Kickstart Courtside Studios—across from the Staples Center that served as home base for some amazing cultural moments,” said Chauncey Hamlett, senior director of marketing for Mountain Dew. “The design of the space pulled people in through the neon lights and unique structure, and the functional elements from the basketball court and sampling bars to the interactive studios kept people there for hours.”
At the activation, attendees could play basketball, relax on a lounge filled with swings, and sample Mountain Dew Kickstart products. Artwork made from Mountain Dew cans covered the walls.
Several big-name celebrities and athletes came through the space, including Kevin Hart, who hosted a live show with multiple N.B.A. players. The weekend culminated in a performance by Ty Dolla $.
N.B.A. partner Kia hosted a public activation at Hudson Loft in downtown Los Angeles. As part of the experience, fans could guess how many basketballs were in a vehicle for a chance to win a $1,000 gift card. The space, which had athlete appearances throughout the weekend, was decorated with roughly 700 basketballs that were later donated to the Girls Inc. Center.
Jack Daniel’s celebrated its second year as an official N.B.A. partner by hosting a series of events and activations through the weekend. The brand kicked off the festivities on Friday night with its immersive House No. 7, a stylish, two-night event at Mack Sennett Studios. Longtime partner Mirrorball designed the event to resemble a vintage Southern hotel, with staffers dressed as bellhops.
One area of the event had arcade games and custom wallpaper meant to evoke the brand’s hometown in Tennessee.
An on-site mini basketball court was branded with the House No. 7 logo.
The stage backdrop was built from round speakers and whiskey barrels.
Jack Daniel’s also hosted a public pop-up store throughout the weekend, which allowed guests to shop locally curated products from the brand’s hometown of Lynchburg, Tennessee. An on-site barber shop offered $5 haircuts.
The Mirrorball-designed space had vintage posters and suitcases, whiskey barrel-theme decor, and a live folk band. In one area, guests could don VR headsets and take a virtual tour of the brand’s distillery.
Southern-theme products were on sale, such as treats from Tennessee favorite Miss Bobo’s Bakery.
Longtime N.B.A. sponsor Anheuser-Busch hosted a 16,000-square-foot pop-up experience centered around sports, music, food, and fashion. The two-day event, which took place at City Market Social House, drew performances from T-Pain (pictured), A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, MadeinTYO, and more, as well as custom merchandise from Levi’s and meet-and-greets with athletes.
During the two-day pop-up, artist Kickasso offered live customization of limited-edition Budweiser sneakers.
Beats by Dre hosted a party at Avenue on Saturday night. Stoelt Productions designed and fabricated an LED logo for the event’s backdrop, with LED strips embedded in the wall to create the illusion that the logo was floating.
In the week leading up to All-Star Weekend, Under Armour created an immersive pop-up shop to showcase its new impact-absorbing technology. The activation on Hollywood Boulevard featured a 40-meter track where guests could try out the new footwear.
Xbox hosted a barber shop at One Court, a series of activations presented by the National Basketball Players Association. Throughout the day, players such as James Harden (left) played the brand’s latest games, while celebrity barbers Jayr Mallari and Marcus “Reggae” Smith offered free haircuts.
