It was a night for the history books on June 13th in New York City after the New York Knicks claimed the team’s first National Basketball Association trophy in over 50 years.
Despite Saturday night’s on-court action taking place across the country in Texas, the city came to life to celebrate the team coming from behind against the San Antonio Spurs to claim the title. From Madison Square Garden to the East Village, Brooklyn to Hell’s Kitchen, fans flocked to be a part of the action, and brands were a part of it too.
Check out what they got up to in the round-up below.
Nike
Director and New York native Josh Safdie was behind Nike and Wieden+Kennedy’s emotional ode to the Knicks that aired after the team emerged victorious. Capturing what it means to be a Knicks fan in just 40 seconds, the spot follows a fan running and cartwheeling through the streets of Manhattan, as he races to get to Madison Square Garden.
Soundtracked by Billy Joel’s 1994 anthem ‘New York State of Mind’, the eager fan ends his journey outside of the stadium, where he looks on at thousands of fans already celebrating. Taking a final breath and a moment to take it all in, the fan smiles as he looks on at the crowds of orange and blue, before the words “Never slept. Always dreamed.” bring the spot to a close.
Michelob ULTRA
The NBA’s global beer sponsor Michelob ULTRA activated in real time across broadcast, social, out of home, athlete partnerships, and on the ground experiences in the days leading up to the game and after the final buzzer sounded.
Building on the brand’s platform rooted in fan access and celebratory moments, Michelob ULTRA’s response to the championship win spanned the full marketing ecosystem, culminating in several activations unveiled after the final buzzer sounded created in partnership with BBDO New York.
Positioned above crowds of jubilant fans, the beer brand displayed a double-unit OOH ad on two Times Square billboards, which connected the hero of the 1973 title team, Walt ‘Clyde’ Frazier, with face of the Knicks in 2026, Jalen Brunson. The words ‘Legacy, Passed.’ stretch across the billboards, which also feature a basketball flying through the air, connecting the two eras and passing the legendary baton on to the next generation.
A celebratory TV spot narrated by Walt Frazier continued the idea of tying the two eras together. Broadcast immediately after the trophy presentation, the film titled ‘Pass for the Ages’ weaves together moments from the 1973 and 2026 teams alongside footage of the city, showing just how deeply the Knicks spirit is embedded.
Pepsi
Official food and beverage partner Pepsi brought the Knicks’ winning energy to the streets with ‘WE OUTSIDE’, a real-time campaign that turns photos of actual Knicks fans, captured during last night’s historic win and Game 3, into billboards across New York City.
Shot by NYC photographers Jack Underwood and Shotti NYC and created with THE TEAM (formerly Wasserman) the digital OOH campaign documents the emotional surrounding the playoff run as it unfolds, told through the faces of real fans who have followed the team through every moment. Snapped on street corners and bars outside of Madison Square Garden, the images capture fan’s raw, unfiltered reactions spanning surprise, excitement, disbelief and more, all with a Pepsi in hand.
Pepsi has long been a part of the city’s story. From the iconic Pepsi-Cola sign in Queens to nearly a decade inside Madison Square Garden alongside Knicks fans at every home game, the activation sees the brand take the energy outside onto the streets of New York.
It builds on Pepsi’s recent ‘Knicks Fans Deserve Pepsi’ collector can scavenger hunt and will continue refreshing with new fan imagery throughout the series, giving New Yorkers a chance to see themselves, their friends and the city’s energy reflected on Pepsi billboards across the Big Apple.
Spotify
Spotify soundtracked the Knicks’ win by unveiling a new billboard near Madison Square Garden. Featuring a user’s playlist titled ‘songs for transcending down 7th ave’, the board will run through Monday, June 15th.
It follows a billboard that was displayed ahead of the Knicks game last Monday that read, ‘Waiting for this since ‘99’.
DirecTV
DirecTV took to social media with the simple command to ‘Tag a Knicks fan’ in the days leading up to the game. Accompanied by a montage of clips from classic films, the video weaves together mentions of the Knicks from a host of different movie characters. Aptly captioned ‘It’s their day’, the post highlights how the Knicks fandom transcends the real world and flows through fiction too.
DirecTV on Instagram
New York Lottery
When the city lit up, New York Lottery and agency McCann New York saw an opportunity to do the opposite. The brand asked more than 13,000 retailers across the state to voluntarily switch off their iconic New York Lottery signs in support of the New York Knicks’ Finals run.
The stunt followed its recent ‘Can You Imagine’ campaign inviting New Yorkers to dream of winning the lottery, this bold play acknowledges that “New York Only Has One Dream Right Now” – a Knicks victory.
The activation was teased on the New York Lottery’s social channels on Thursday before the game, and a video showing bodega owners and other retailers dimming their lights was posted ahead of the Game 5 win on Saturday. The effort reminds New Yorkers of the power of dreams, and captures the collective energy of the occasion.
Saie
Beauty brand Saie – which was announced as the Knicks official beauty partner at the beginning of the year – has had a triumphant first season as an official partner.
Proudly advertising to female fans within a male-dominated category, the brand – which also sponsors the Knicks City Dancers – was hosting watch parties and showing up events around the city, all with the intention of providing a Knicks ‘Game-day glow’. Even turning its social media profile photo into a basketball, the brand has gone all-in to support the team from its home city.
Saie Beauty on Instagram
Writing about the partnership on the brand’s substack, founder Laney Crowell wrote, “What started as maybe one of the riskiest partnerships we’ve done has become one of the best.” With the brand seen countless times in user generated content across social media, the brand’s biggest partnership to date has surely paid off.
This content is sourced from lbbonline.com and is shared for informational purposes only.
