We’ve had 4 years of the Basketball Africa League. What have we learnt?

Last weekend saw Angolan side Petro de Luanda beat Libya's Al Ahly Ly 107-94 to claim the fourth Basketball Africa League (BAL) title in Kigali.

But I’m more interested in what is happening off the court—specifically the BAL’s distinctive marketing strategy.

Here are 10 of my takeaways from the the NBA’s annual showpiece in Africa.

1. Production levels are high…

The quality both of the BAL events and digital content is higher than any other sports tournament in Africa, bar AFCON.

2. …But online interest in the BAL remains low

Despite the high production quality, online sports fans just don’t seem that interested in BAL.

Views and engagement are low when compared to other sports leagues, such as the NBA or even AfroBasket.

Even in Senegal, BAL’s biggest market, search interest is still a fraction of that of the NBA, and there’s not an obvious upward trajectory.

3. BAL finals is a place to be seen

The week-long tournament, which is held alongside other industry events such as the Africa Soft Power Summit, is very much en vogue.

You are just as likely to bump into investors, fashionistas, ex-NBA players, and influencers, as you are hard-core basketball fans.

Dave Chappelle, anyone?

4. Africa’s “All-Stars Week”

The BAL is positioning itself as a chic and cosmopolitan event for Africa’s urbane creative class. Modern, fashionable, and female-friendly, with a visual brand that is straight outta Wakanda.

I’ve heard the BAL finals referred to as ”All-Stars Week” for Africa.

It could also be “Afro Nation, but with less music and more basketball.”

5. The “Chioma Good Hair” effect

Just like Taylor Swift’s appearance boosted Super Bowl viewing figures, the BAL hope influencer attendees will help drive attention to their league.

A quick search of the official hashtag #theBAL will give a sense of the kind of influencers that on NBA Africa’s payroll.

In short—mostly, young, attractive, and female.

francestheodore

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chiomagoodhair

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Association with, or even an interest in, basketball doesn’t seem to be a key criteria for working with the BAL.

6. ‘Lifestyle’ content worked for AFCON

There’s nothing wrong with influencer marketing.

Sport is trending in the ‘lifestyle’ direction, and the NBA have arguably done this better than anyone.

African football governing body CAF also saw great success integrated music, fashion, and dance into their marketing for this year’s AFCON.

@caf_online

An arrival worthy of the Black Stars. 🌟🕺 #TotalEnergiesAFCON2023

7. Will it work for the BAL?

But there are a few obvious differences between AFCON and the BAL.

• Firstly, football is far more popular than basketball in Africa.

• Secondly, AFCON taps into nationwide allegiances. River Hoopers vs Cape Town Tigers lack the same resonance as Nigeria vs South Africa.

• Thirdly, CAF’s lifestyle content tended to relate back to the sport, and the players—it was not lifestyle influencers dancing to the latest Afrobeats songs, but the players themselves.

When we saw AFCON players don their traditional clothing, it was en route to the stadium. It gave you more reason to watch the match itself.

@caf_online

Touchdown Super Eagles. 🦅🇳🇬 #TotalEnergiesAFCON2023 #AFCON #AFCON2023

8. The BAL must make customers stick around…

The last point is crucial because for influencer marketing to work, it is essential that users ‘stick’ to your brand beyond the influencer’s involvement. Otherwise you are just throwing money into a leaky bucket—you are constantly paying to acquire customers that immediately churn.

So far, there is little evidence that the influencer’s followers are becoming long-term fans of the BAL.

In fact, the league is still getting less than half the search volume than it did in season 1, where J Cole featured for the Rwanda Patriots.

It doesn’t help that there is almost 9 months between the BAL finals and the start of the next season. All these eyeballs are coming just when the league is about to go into hibernation.

9. How much value are influencers generating?

The NBA Africa have enough money that they can afford to experiment.

But to be sustainable, they need to generate a return on their marketing spend. The likes of actress-cum-fashion blogger Temi Otedola (family net worth >$1.5Bn) do not come cheap.

Are Otedola’s followers (mostly young females in Nigeria) going to spend thousands of dollars on flights tickets for next year’s event? Are they going to tune in to watch the basketball?

If not, they are not going to be of much value to advertisers or broadcasters.

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10. The BAL is a bellwether for Africa

The NBA, and the BAL, are a bellwether for the African sports industry. Other brands will use them as a barometer.

I want them to succeed.

And, with the right team and enough time, I believe they will.

The focus on lifestyle makes sense. But in order to justify their self-declared $1 billion enterprise value, the league must go beyond being a party for influencers, and work out how to make fans stick around for the actual sport.