Phoenix Suns
Positioning the rise of the Phoenix Suns
Context
Most sports franchises’ identities are forged by the personnel: whether that’s the GM, the coaches or roster. But successful brands need to exist beyond individuals, even their players.
The NBA, in particular, has more and more become a player-driven league, as its popularity globally is at an all time high. The Phoenix Suns were the first NBA expansion team, and have a loyal fanbase in the Phoenix/Tuscon area that have been by their side since 1968.
Their recent success has been sparked by an injection of ambition with a new ownership group, along with the rapid growth of the city itself: Phoenix is now the 5th largest city by population in the US.
This new ownership group has bold ambitions, wanting to be the #1 sports and entertainment franchise in the world.
Like a lot of other franchises, they have lacked a center of gravity, a rallying cry that unites everyone from the players, to the fan base, through the organization and their marketing partners.
We needed to transform our potential into unstoppable kinetic energy.
Approach
We spoke to many key stakeholders in the organization, from marketing, digital, creative + social to the CEO and CRO about their ambitions, past successes and inspiration from teams within the NBA and globally.
It became clear they needed a few elements to start running the right offense:
- A tagline and rallying cry
- A personality and tone that distinguished them from the league
- An understanding of what's shaped them as an organizatin, and they what they needed to propel forward
The goal with our positioning was to harness the energy evident in the organization and channel it towards success.
We focused on a few core truths that make the Suns unique
After aligning on elements of our DNA that distinguish us: years of tasting but not reaching the pinnacle, the unique culture of Phoenix, and an organization defined by iconic players, we needed to put the world on notice that we’ve reached our permanent prime with an undeniable humble swagger.
In a world of millions of variables, people can count on one source of truth every day: The sun will rise, and the sun will set.
Out of the desert was born Phoenix.
It forged saguaros: a plant as strong and resilient as Phoenix itself. Purple and orange sunsets you only see here.
Iron sharpens iron, and the Phoenix area brings an attitude of resilience that sits at the heart of every resident.
Throughout all of our eras, ups and downs, the fans always show up and want to see the best out of our team every game.
In a world of millions of variables, people can count on one source of truth every day: The sun will rise, and the sun will set.
The sun is up, and it always will be.
