“You've got three pairs. You can't have six cards! You can't have six cards in a five-card game!”

By Kurt Hunzeker (with some copy points provided by the movie Ocean’s Eleven)

For Post 21, and one that centers on Part 2 of the NBA’s upcoming All-Star Game in Las Vegas, you knew I was going into the well and use quotes from one of the best Vegas-centric movies of all-time, Ocean’s Eleven.

When we left off, I proposed focusing all marketing efforts on the 21-and-up crowd, because when you couple the NBA with Las Vegas, parents will not be quick to take their kids to the epicenter of gambling, debauchery and the very accurate “What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas” experience.

With an understanding that the youth market is truly “tomorrow’s paying consumers,” I believe the NBA has a golden opportunity to market this particular All-Star Game unlike any all-star game ever played in any professional league. The Vegas All-Star Game will be on par with the glamour, celebrity and star power of the Super Bowl. And this should be a boon for the Association and its sponsors.

The NBA’s corporate partner roster should be clamoring to activate its sponsorship with the All-Star Game. Combine all of the elements of this platform: the market (Las Vegas), the particular time of year (warm in Vegas; winter just about everywhere else), proximity to star power (Hollywood is a short flight away), the NBA’s emerging young stars (James, Wade, Anthony), the NBA’s best still at their peak (Bryant, Duncan, Garnett and – in popularity – Shaq)…you have a recipe for some of the most sought-after tickets (basketball-related activities AND casino-based clubs/parties).

Consider if you will….

“Ted Nugent called, he wants his shirt back.”

Crazy ideas, as in Ted Nugent-crazy, will win with our core market. The über-savvy 21-35 set gravitate towards the direct, one-on-one experience; not traditional mass marketing vehicles. From DVRs fast-forwarding commercials to waiting for movies to come out on DVD, our target consumer won’t even consider a static message unless an attractive carrot is attached to it.

And these “carrots” highlight the following ideas customized for some of the 21 – that’s right, the magical, Las Vegas number of 21 – major NBA official marketing partners each should employ to garner the interest (and purchasing power) of our core demographic:

Toyota – “I’m gonna get out of the car and drop you like third period French.”

The goal for automakers’ sponsorships centers on having a desire audience actually get inside one of their vehicles. In the same manner that beverage companies utilize sports team partnerships to provide a venue to sample its drinks, or airlines highlight its services to add passengers, car companies want potential consumers to test drive their lines of cars, trucks and SUVs.

Introducing …Toyota’s “Moving Forward…to Center Court” Sweepstakes

Goal…Increase test drives and purchases from 21-35 demographic

Execution…Conduct national sweeps where test drivers of certain lines of Toyota vehicles enter for a chance to not only win an all-expenses paid trip to Las Vegas, but courtside seats taken directly from the seats of an actual Toyota vehicle. The same lucky winners win Toyota vehicles to take home with them.

Support…National advertising featuring NBA stars as Toyota car salesmen taking 21-35 year-olds for test drives around the country, all eventually ending up on the Las Vegas Strip.

Anheuser-Busch – “Ten oughta do it, don’t you think? You think we need one more? You think we need one more. All right, we’ll get one more.”

Introducing…Budweiser Select’s “Kings of the RoundBall”

Goal…Grow Anheuser-Busch’s newest entry in the light/low-carb beer category as the top choice among 21-35 year olds; the exact demographic Las Vegas targets

Execution…Plaster Las Vegas with Bud Select’s crown icon

Support… Co-branded Budweiser Select/All-Star Game-branded matchbooks in every casino; place crown logo on all room keys; partner with Playboy, Maxim and all other parties scheduled for that weekend…the list goes on and on….

Southwest Airlines – “Apparently, he's got a record longer than my…well, it's long.”

Introducing…Southwest Airlines’ “Pick-and-Roll Your Way to Vegas” Sweepstakes

Goal…Grow Southwest Airlines business nationally, with a focus on cross-country flights

Execution…Reward customers who travel more than 500 miles round-trip with exclusive entry to win an all-expense paid trip to Las Vegas for the All-Star Game

Support…Partner with high-end hotel and casino to provide luxury accommodations; blanket each Southwest Airlines gate with co-branded point-of-sale; cross-promote during NFL telecasts this fall (Southwest Airlines is the Official Airline of the NFL); invite NFL stars to attend VIP party in Las Vegas…again, the list goes on and on….

Las Vegas provides you a backdrop to just about do anything. Because what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.