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Home Case Studies Data-Driven Marketing How the Cavs Increased Engagement and Boosted Fan Loyalty with a Hyper-Personalized Video

How the Cavs Increased Engagement and Boosted Fan Loyalty with aHyper-Personalized Video

“We aimed to create a deeper, more personal connection between our
membership base and the team, making them feel integral to the Cavs’
journey and capitalizing on a historic start to the 2024-25 NBA season.
Leveraging game attendance, we created personalized videos telling each
fan’s unique success story, an innovative approach in the industry. This
initiative showcased the power of personalized content to drive action,
loyalty, and advocacy - becoming a core part of our marketing strategy."

Maggie Marino, Growth Marketing Manager, Cleveland Cavaliers

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Data-Driven Marketing
Engagement
Loyalty
Personalization
Sports

Background

The Cleveland Cavaliers, founded in 1970, are a professional basketball team
in the NBA’s Eastern Conference. The Cleveland Cavaliers won the NBA
Championship in 2016 while also taking the Eastern Conference crown in
2007, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. Known for their community support,
workplace diversity and local economic impact, the team plays at Rocket
Arena in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. Both the Cavaliers and Rocket Arena are
part of Rock Entertainment Group, the umbrella entity of sports and
entertainment properties under the Dan Gilbert ROCK Family of Companies.
The Cavaliers and Rocket Arena provide fans with the best experience in the
NBA with an extensive and stunning array of amenities, technology and
signature, electrifying game presentation. Dan Gilbert is Chairman of the
Cleveland Cavaliers. Nic Barlage is the Cavaliers, Rocket Arena and Rock
Entertainment Group CEO, and the Cavaliers team is led by President of
Basketball Operations Koby Altman, General Manager Mike Gansey and Head
Coach Kenny Atkinson.

Challenges

The Cleveland Cavaliers were looking for innovative approaches to fan
engagement during a crucial point in the season when fan loyalty was key to
boosting renewals. Previous campaigns had grown from sending an invoice
to sending a basketball or membership related touchpoint. The team was
looking for a way to build connection and leverage an unforgettable start to
the 2024-25 season.

Solution

The Cavaliers teamed up with Blings to develop a groundbreaking, highly
personalized summary video campaign, similar to Spotify Wrapped, that
celebrated each fan’s unique contributions to the historic start to the 2024-
25 season.
The campaign highlighted individual fan statistics such as games attended,
points witnessed, steals, and – most notably – their personal win rate,
showing how many Cavs victories occurred while they were in the house.
This personalization made fans feel like integral parts of the team’s success,
generating an incredible sense of connection. The video also featured a call
to action, encouraging fans to share their personalized results on social
media or with friends and family, amplifying engagement and fostering a
stronger community.
Additionally, the campaign was designed to boost fan engagement and
satisfaction, driving membership renewals for the upcoming season by
reinforcing the fan’s pivotal role in the Cavs’ journey.

cavs 1 flow stats 1

Results

The personalized video campaign generated impressive quantitative and qualitative results, demonstrating the effectiveness of hyper-personalization in boosting fan engagement and loyalty:

  • Email Metrics: The campaign achieved a 62% Open Rate and 22% Click-Through Rate, well above average for communications with the targeted audience.
  • Sharing Rate: 53% of fans shared their personalized results with friends or family, expanding the campaign’s reach and fostering fan advocacy. This high sharing rate speaks to the emotional connection fans felt with the campaign.

    cavs 3

  • Video Completion Rate: 84% of viewers watched the entire video, with many fans staying engaged until the final scene that summarized their personal stats.

    cavs 4 completion rate

  • Emotional Impact: Fans expressed how the campaign made them feel like a vital part of the team’s success. One fan shared, “That made me FEEL like I was an important contributor to the Cavs’ success story, and it’s something I’ve never seen done before.” This highlights the emotional connection the campaign fostered.
  • Fan Advocacy: The high sharing rate (53%) reflects that fans were not just passive recipients but active advocates for the Cavaliers. This kind of advocacy is a strong indicator of loyalty, as fans are more likely to promote the team to their social circles when they feel personally connected.These numbers, combined with the qualitative feedback, underscore the
    campaign’s ability to captivate fans, foster deeper emotional ties, and drive
    meaningful actions.

 

 

53%
Share Rate
84%
Video Completion Rate
22%
CTR Increase

Conclusion

The Cleveland Cavaliers’ personalized video campaign successfully created
an emotional bond with fans by showcasing their unique contributions to the
team’s success. With Blings’ MP5 technology, the Cavs delivered highly
relevant and tailored content, which significantly boosted engagement and
loyalty. The 53% sharing rate, and 84% video completion rate clearly demonstrate the impact of personalized content in driving fan advocacy and future membership sales. This innovative approach has set a new standard in sports marketing, with the Cavaliers now well- positioned to continue fostering deeper connections with their fanbase.