NBA All-Star Game

After 25 years, the brightest stars of the NBA returned to Cleveland for the 2022 NBA All-Star Game. And Cleveland did not take that opportunity for granted. Because being an All-Star is not just a title. It’s a mentality.

 Visit Cleveland launched a campaign called “Welcome to Cleveland’s Court,” empowering the city to step into the spotlight and command national attention. The pride was real. The excitement was genuine. Cleveland knew that opportunities aren’t given – they’re earned. So they put in the work. On Cleveland’s court, we’re never defeated.

In February 2022, Cleveland hosted the NBA All-Star Game at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Destination Cleveland, the National Basketball Association and the Cleveland Cavaliers collaborated to build momentum and garner awareness of the event from a national perspective. Destination Cleveland’s goal for the campaign was to generate hype, shift perceptions, promote DEI and increase travel to Cleveland during the 2022 NBA All-Star Game. On behalf of Destination Cleveland, agency partner aimed to create a video that would get people excited about All-Star weekend, highlight Cleveland’s status as a sports town and encourage visitorship to Cleveland during All-Star weekend and beyond.

With the people of Cleveland and the whole NBA community counting on the city – Cleveland stepped up. “Welcome to Cleveland’s Court” began generating the hype needed to kick off the star-studded weekend nearly one month out from the event.

 First, the stats. The “Welcome to Cleveland’s Court” video achieved 306,258 impressions across YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn with 86,110 views across those same platforms. On YouTube, the video achieved an impression click-through rate of 9.4%, and on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn, the video achieved a 2.7% click-through rate with 709 post-link clicks and 2,721 likes.

Second, the perception shifts. The events of the weekend and the campaign supporting it helped to strengthen positive perceptions among tastemaking spectators and NBA legends alike. When big names in sports and entertainment are talking about how much they love Cleveland, you know the city’s doing something right.

 During an interview with Cleveland’s Channel 3 News, rapper Flavor Flav said, “The energy is great. I’m loving it. Everyone is amped and excited for the game tomorrow. Right now, Cleveland is getting a good rap, not a bad rap. Look where the All-Star Game is, baby! Come on now, that’s a good rap.”

Hall of Fame–center Dikembe Mutombo said to a Channel 5 News reporter, “I’m so happy to be back in Cleveland after almost three years. I know that the people of Cleveland are opening the door to welcome all those many visitors that are coming here for the All-Star Weekend, so I’m so excited to be a part of all the exciting events taking place – not just the game. To discover the city, to meet people and to have fun.”

The investment with agency partner was approximately $25K.