Mountain Dew Inks NBA, Drone Sponsorships

Beverage brand will sponsor NBA 3X competition and drone racing competition.

The National Basketball Association has partnered with Mountain Dew to launch Dew NBA 3X, the league’s first-ever nationwide 3x3 basketball competition tour.

During each two-day competition, more than 30 pre-selected men’s and women’s teams will participate in the event. The competition will begin with pool play, followed by a single elimination playoff bracket that will result in a city champion to participate in the National Finals.

Mountain Dew will also create a pop-up gallery at each event that showcases basketball and youth culture-themed artwork by local artists and fans, available for purchase. Fans can submit their artwork using the hashtag #CourtsideCollection on Instagram.

The invite-only competition will begin May 21 in Atlanta, Ga., and will culminate on Oct. 23 in Los Angeles, Calif., with the Dew NBA 3X National Finals. The competition will also visit fans in Miami, Fla.; Dallas, Texas; Chicago, Ill.; and Houston, Texas.

“Through our multiyear partnership with the NBA, we continue to bring one-of-a-kind experiences to Dew Nation that celebrate the game and lifestyle of basketball,” says Greg Lyons, senior vice president, marketing, Mountain Dew. “At Dew NBA 3X, we are hosting talented players on the court and bringing the game off the court through onsite activities that combine the love of basketball, art and music, including an art gallery series designed and curated by local artists.”

Additionally, Mountain Dew has also partnered with DR1 Racing to sponsor DR1’s drone racing series. DR1 Invitational presented by Mountain Dew will showcase 12 of the top drone racing pilots in the world as they compete to win the competition.

The two-day race will be broken up into heats, qualifiers and finals and will air this August in a national, one-hour broadcast special.

Mountain Dew also unveiled its new TV and digital spot “Drone Hunting” to anchor the second year of the brand’s global “Do the Dew” marketing campaign.

The Joester Loria Group is the North American licensing agent for PepsiCo, which owns Mountain Dew.