Business & Finance
Business and Finance
Business and Finance
Mon, September 13, 2010 BBVA Signs Multiyear Marketing Partnership with The NBA
NEW YORK & MADRID--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--The BBVA Group (NYSE: BBVA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) today announced a new multiyear marketing partnership that will highlight the banka™s financial products and services to the leaguea™s broad and passionate fanbase. As part of the partnership, BBVA will serve as the Official Bank of the NBA, the Womena™s National Basketball Association (WNBA), and the NBA Development League (NBA D-League) in the United States, Spain and Puerto Rico.
"Basketball is a global game and this new partnership illustrates how the transcending popularity of the NBA, the WNBA and the NBA D-League provide our partners with unique opportunities to engage our fans and celebrate the game in a variety of cultures."
This partnership enhances BBVAa™s overall commitment to sports a" which includes its existing title sponsorship of La Liga BBVA, Spaina™s top professional soccer league a" and fully identifies the bank with the values of passion, teamwork, and fair play inherent to both sports. The dynamic integration of soccer and basketball a" two of the most popular and played sports in the world a" into BBVAa™s broad marketing portfolio enables the bank to promote its consumer and business-to-business financial services around the world.
aThis agreement solidifies BBVAa™s position as the aBank of Sportsa and opens up a new and ambitious pathway to growth in Spain, as well as in the US, through the BBVA Compass branda, stated Gregorio Panadero, BBVA Global Chief Communications Officer. aFurthermore, both BBVA and the NBA align on many strategic points, for which the visibility of both brands in Europe and America is fundamental,a he added.
aBBVA is a leading global brand with a successful history of reaching fans and consumers around the world through sports,a said Mark Tatum, NBA Executive Vice President of Global Marketing Partnerships. aBasketball is a global game and this new partnership illustrates how the transcending popularity of the NBA, the WNBA and the NBA D-League provide our partners with unique opportunities to engage our fans and celebrate the game in a variety of cultures.a
BBVA Group is a leading European bank and the seventh-largest financial institution in the western world, with 48 million clients, 7,600 branches, and approximately 105,000 employees in more than 30 countries. In the U.S., the company expanded its presence through a series of acquisitions, including Valley Bank (2004), Laredo National Bank (2005), Texas State Bank (2006), State National Bank (2007), Compass Bank (2007), and Guaranty Bank (2009). All of the acquisitions have been integrated into BBVA Compass, a leading U.S. banking franchise.
In the U.S., BBVA Compass will use its growing network of more than 700 retail banking locations to conduct a variety of NBA-themed promotions around key NBA events and programs. BBVA Compass will have a significant presence on NBA national game telecasts on ABC, ESPN, and TNT, along with significant exposure on NBA TV and NBA.com. It will serve as the presenting partner of a grassroots NBA tour that will make 20 stops across the U.S. The bank will also support the leaguea™s social responsibility initiative, NBA Cares, though the creation of live, learn, and play centers during each year of the agreement, and by serving as an associate partner of the NBA All-Star Day of Service held annually as part of NBA All-Star.
To tip off its WNBA partnership, BBVA will receive significant exposure during the 2010 WNBA Finals presented by adidas featuring the Atlanta Dream and Seattle Storm. BBVAa™s logo will be prominently featured on both teamsa™ jerseys for the entire series, marking the first time a single marketing partner will receive exposure on the jerseys of both teams competing in the WNBA Finals, other than the leaguea™s official outfitter.
In Spain, the partnership will tip off at the NBA Europe Live presented by EA SPORTSa" game at the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona between the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers and the defending Euroleague champions FC Barcelona on Oct. 7. BBVA will serve as an associate partner of the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Regal FC Barcelona, and also take part in Fan Zone events leading up to the game.
BBVA will launch additional partnership activities in the U.S. to coincide with the tip off of the NBA regular season on Oct. 26.
About BBVA Group
BBVA is a global group that offers individual and corporate customers the most complete range of financial and non-financial products and services. It enjoys a solid leadership position in the Spanish market, where it first began its activities over 150 years ago. It also has a leading franchise in South America; it is the largest financial institution in Mexico; one of the 15th largest U.S. commercial banks and one of the few large international groups operating in China. BBVA employs 105,000 people in over 30 countries around the world, has more than 48 million customers and 900,000 shareholders.
About BBVA Compass
BBVA Compass is a Sunbelt-based financial institution that operates 723 branches including 387 in Texas, 92 in Alabama, 65 in California, 77 in Arizona, 45 in Florida, 36 in Colorado, and 21 in New Mexico. BBVA Compass is the 15th largest U.S. commercial bank based on deposit market share and ranks among the largest banks in Texas (fourth), Alabama (third) and Arizona (fifth). For the second consecutive year, BBVA Compass was named as a "Lender of the Year" by the Small Business Administration (SBA). Additional information concerning BBVA Compass can be found on our website [ www.bbvacompass.com ].
About the NBA
The NBA, founded in 1946, is a professional sports league and global business that features 30 teams in the United States and Canada. During the 2009-10 season, NBA games reached 215 countries and territories in 41 languages. The leaguea™s worldwide reach is also displayed in the 79 international players from 35 countries and territories on NBA rosters. NBA merchandise is sold in more than 100,000 stores in 100 countries on six continents. NBA.com averages more than 26 million page views per day, with more than 50 percent of the sitea™s visitors coming from outside of North America. Through NBA Cares, the league, its teams and players have donated more than $140 million to charity, provided more than 1.1 million hours of hands-on service to communities around the world, and created more than 484 places where kids and families can live, learn, or play, including 85 places in 21 countries on five continents internationally.
