With the best record in the NBA
so far, the Dallas Mavericks are a hot commodity. Selling out
games both at home and on the road, the Cinderella team is
gaining attention nation-wide as fans jump on the bandwagon. As
those fans flock to see the Mavs play at home, they’ll not
only see the team’s stars, but they’ll also see Jani-King
running the floor.
“What a great marketing
opportunity!” said Jani-King of Dallas Vice President Steve
Tapken. “We’re getting great coverage in a fantastic
setting.” Through a marketing deal struck between the Mavs
and Jani-King of Dallas, now “The Official Commercial
Cleaning Sponsor of the Mavericks,” all of the “ball
kids” and moppers are decked out in Jani-King logo clothing.
So every time one of the basketball players fall, the Jani-King
crew is on the court mopping up any slippery spots.
“In this
day and age of consumers being inundated with ad messages,
this is a unique way to get our name out there,” said
Director of Public Relations Amy Johns. “It not only shows
what we do, but also how we support our local community, all
while creating name recognition, consumer loyalty, and a positive
image of Jani-King.”
The audience in the 20,000-seat
American Airlines Arena is made up of a wide demographic of
business owners as well as potential franchise owners. Since
beginning this sponsorship during the last six games of the 2002
NBA Playoffs, the Dallas region has raised name recognition and
brand awareness within the business community.
“We’ve
sold two franchises as a direct result of our Mavs
sponsorship,” Tapken said. “And while we don’t know
exactly how many cleaning contracts the sponsorship has helped us
win, people are always commenting on seeing our name and hearing
our commercials at the game. That kind of feedback tells us
it’s been a good investment.”
In addition to the
“ball kids” and moppers, Jani-King’s 30-second TV
spots run before the game on the Jumbotron, and our 30-second
Terry Bradshaw radio spots run during the game. At the end of
each home game, the “Jani-King Top Rebounder of the
Game” is announced, followed by, “Keep buildings as
clean as the Mavericks home court.” As a bonus to the deal,
the Jani-King TV and radio spots are also running during Dallas
Sidekicks professional indoor soccer games.
“While
lesser-known teams may not have as large an audience, they still
have loyal fans, and you can get outstanding, affordable
publicity and positive PR by marketing through them,” Johns
said. According to Tapken,the Mavericks deal is a real winner.
“We’re getting a lot of mentions and are reaching a
large section of our target audience,” he said. “And
the Mavs are having such a great season. As long as they’re
winning, so are we!'”
