sports marketing | SunMatrix Ramble

Nike NBA: NFC Jersey for Fan Access

To provide a radical new fan experience, Nike and the NBA have unveiled the Nike NBA Connected Jersey, that via an iOS NikeConnect app provides the wearer an all-access pass into the world of their favorite team and players.

To enable this new experience each adult-sized Nike NBA Connected Jersey will now come with an embedded NFC chip that will launch real-time team and player content such as pregame arrival footage, highlight packages and top players favorite music playlists, all on the jersey owner’s mobile device.

Additionally during the season, a wealth of exclusive offers and experiences will also bring fans closer to the game they love.

The jersey becomes a digital key

This is a classic shift from product to platform. The jersey is no longer just merchandise. It is an authenticated access point that unlocks value over time.

Persistent identity. The NFC chip links the physical item to a digital experience layer.
Content as a benefit. Real-time clips, highlights, and playlists extend fandom beyond game day.
Lifecycle engagement. Season-long offers and experiences create reasons to return repeatedly.

Why NFC is the right interaction here

NFC is fast, familiar, and low-friction on mobile. It turns “launch the app” into “tap the jersey”. That matters, because fan engagement dies quickly when the steps feel like work.

The best connected products reduce steps. They make the physical object the interface.

In sports and entertainment merchandising, the strategic unlock is to turn ownership into authenticated access, so the product keeps earning engagement long after the purchase moment.

What this signals about the future of fan experiences

Connected merchandise can do more than push content. It can authenticate presence, segment offers, and reward loyalty in ways that are difficult to achieve through generic apps alone.

Access becomes the differentiator. Not just ownership.
Value becomes ongoing. Not one-time at purchase.
The product becomes a channel. Not just a display of fandom.

What to take from this if you build connected products

Start with a clear benefit. Content and access are the reasons to tap.
Make activation effortless. Tap-based interactions beat long onboarding flows.
Design for a season, not a moment. The experience must evolve over time to stay relevant.
Use exclusivity carefully. The best offers feel earned, not gated for the sake of it.

A few fast answers before you act

What is the Nike NBA Connected Jersey?

It is an NBA jersey from Nike that includes an embedded NFC chip and works with the NikeConnect iOS app to unlock exclusive team and player content and experiences.

What does the NFC chip do?

It enables tap-to-launch access to real-time content such as pregame arrival footage, highlight packages, and player playlists on the owner’s mobile device.

Why is this a “radical” fan experience?

Because it turns a physical jersey into an access pass that can deliver evolving digital benefits throughout the season, not just at the moment of purchase.

What kinds of benefits can connected jerseys unlock?

Exclusive content, season-long offers, and closer-to-the-game experiences that reward fans for owning and engaging with the product.

What is the transferable lesson for brands?

If you can make a physical product an authenticated key to ongoing digital value, you can extend engagement well beyond the initial sale.

Samsung: Galaxy 11

Samsung, to promote its new Galaxy S5 smartphone during the 2014 World Cup, created a 13 minute animated film (split in 2 parts) featuring some of the world’s greatest footballers on a mission to save Earth from an alien race called Hurakan.

To save Earth from total annihilation, the human footballers dubbed the “Galaxy 11” get into a winner take all football match with the alien race. In the film, the Galaxy 11 are seen using various Samsung Galaxy devices to face off against the horned creatures, who have a penchant for flips and fancy kicks.

Why this format works for a World Cup moment

It is built for attention. A 13 minute animated story gives Samsung room to create a world, not just a product claim.
The product is part of the mission. Galaxy devices show up as tools the team uses, so the placement feels “in-world” rather than bolted on.
It scales globally. Football, sci-fi stakes, and animation travel across markets without heavy explanation.

What to learn from “Galaxy 11”

If you want people to stay with a brand story for more than a few seconds, give them a narrative engine. A clear enemy, a clear goal, and a clear showdown. Then let the product play a credible role inside that story, instead of pausing the story to sell.

A few fast answers before you act

What is Samsung “Galaxy 11”?

It is a two-part animated film created for the 2014 World Cup that puts elite footballers into a “save Earth” match against an alien team called Hurakan, while featuring Samsung Galaxy devices in the story.

How long is the film?

It runs about 13 minutes in total and is split into two parts.

How does the Galaxy S5 fit into the film?

The Galaxy devices are shown as tools the team uses during the mission, so the product appears through action rather than through a conventional pitch.

What is the transferable pattern for brands?

Build a short, high-stakes story with a simple structure. Then integrate the product as a believable capability inside the plot.

Heineken Star Player

The UEFA Champions League attracts massive global audiences, and a large share of fans watch matches at home. Heineken’s release references over 150 million TV viewers watching live UCL coverage per match week in 220+ territories. Heineken and AKQA used that context to build Heineken StarPlayer, a dual-screen app designed to let fans interact in real time with the nail-biting action.

With StarPlayer, fans play along live on desktop and mobile by anticipating what will happen in key match moments, in real time. The promise is simple. Turn passive viewing into a competitive layer of predictions, banter and shared tension.

What StarPlayer actually adds to the match

The mechanic is built around micro-moments. Corners, free kicks, penalties, shots, and short time windows where a fan can commit to a forecast. If you are right, you gain points. If you are wrong, you lose ground. The point is not the points. The point is sustained attention and social comparison.

In sports sponsorship, the hard part is not reach. It is converting 90 minutes of attention into 90 minutes of participation.

Why the dual-screen idea fits the way fans really watch

StarPlayer leans into two truths. First, a lot of fans watch at home rather than in stadiums. Second, many are already using a second device during the match, either to check stats, message friends, or follow commentary. StarPlayer turns that second-screen habit into a structured game loop.

It also respects viewer control. You can engage in bursts, choose the moments you want to play, and keep your focus on the match while the phone or laptop becomes your companion layer.

What the brand is really buying

Heineken positions StarPlayer as “made to entertain” applied to sport viewing. The business intent is to make the sponsorship feel like an experience, not just a logo. If the brand becomes part of the ritual, it earns recall that is tied to real match emotions, not ad breaks.

The work later earns major industry recognition. Heineken Star Player is listed as a Cyber Gold Lion (Mobile) at Cannes Lions, credited to AKQA London.

What to steal for any live, time-boxed audience

Design around predictable peaks. Build interactions for moments people already lean forward for.
Keep the loop lightweight. A decision in seconds beats anything that competes with the main screen.
Make it social by default. Rivalry, banter and comparison are the fuel. Solo play is the backup.
Optimise for “stickiness”, not clicks. The win condition is returning to the second screen again and again during the match.

A few fast answers before you act

What is a “dual-screen” experience in sports marketing?

A dual-screen experience is when the main content stays on TV, while a phone or laptop adds a companion layer. The second screen can enable play, prediction, stats, chat, or rewards without interrupting the match.

Why do prediction mechanics work especially well in live sport?

Because sport is already a sequence of uncertain outcomes. Predictions let fans externalise their gut feel, then get instant feedback, which creates tension and repeat engagement.

What is the simplest version of Star Player a brand could copy?

Pick 5 to 10 repeatable match moments. Create one-tap predictions with a short countdown. Score it. Add a friend leaderboard. Keep everything playable in under five seconds.

How do you avoid the second screen distracting from the match?

Design for bursts. Keep interactions tied to natural pauses or peak moments. Use quick taps, not typing. The TV remains the hero.

What metrics matter for a second-screen activation?

Time-in-experience per match, repeat participation across matches, and social play rate. For brand outcomes, track recall and sponsorship attribution uplift, not just installs.