Suntory Global Spirits-owned Maker’s Mark has become the inaugural ‘spirits partner’ of player-founded women’s basketball league Unrivaled.
The “multi-year” tie-up marks the bourbon brand’s first step into league-level sports sponsorship. In-game activations will take place within arena hospitality at matches in Miami and Philadelphia, as the league prepares for its second season, which starts next month.
The deal will include in-arena branding, VIP hospitality integrations and Maker’s Mark cocktails at selected fixtures, with 30-second Maker’s Mark adverts to show through TNT, truTV and Bleacher Report.
“Maker’s Mark founders … broke with tradition to reimagine what bourbon could be – a perfectly unreasonable spirit that endures today,” said Maker’s Mark MD Rob Samuels. “Beginning with co-founders Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, Unrivaled shares that same spirit, and we’re delighted to shine a light on their community of players who prioritise passion and purpose on and off court.”
Unrivaled returns on 5 January with an enlarged format, two additional clubs and its first Philadelphia tour stop, backed by broader national broadcast coverage and new commercial partners.
In February, Suntory Global Spirits commenced a marketing campaign for Maker’s Mark, which kicked off in the US before rolling out worldwide.
