Event Marketer Spring 2023 - 17

BEST PRACTICES
A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN
Pickleball hasn't historically been unified under a single league, but late last year, the sport's two highest-profile
leagues, the VIBE Pickleball League and Major League Pickleball, announced a merger. VIBE was originally established
by the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA), one of two professional pickleball tours in the country (the other being
the Association of Pickleball Professionals). Overseeing them all is USA Pickleball, the national governing body for the
sport in the U.S., which provides players with official rules, tournaments, rankings and promotional materials.
think of you in an endemic way, " says Jim
Gunning, cmo at Best Day Brewing. " They
start to think, 'here are the key paddle
companies, ball companies, shoe companies
or clothing companies. Oh, and here
are the supporting brands that align with
the sport.' "
ABOUT THE PICKLERS
Forget the image you have of pickleball
players as a bunch of Florida retirees. The
pickler population is composed of all ages,
abilities, backgrounds and interest levels.
While the sport is steadily becoming more
competitive, the majority of players and
fans still appreciate pickleball for its laidback,
casual vibe. And sponsors should
engage accordingly.
" As you can move away from a competitive
setting and go more toward the
club level, it really starts to come back to
that original idea of, hey, we're just out here
to have fun, " says Gunning. " It's active, we
work up a little sweat, hang out with our
friends, have a drink and go about our day.
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And that's where the sport really lives. "
Based on consumer research conducted
before diving into the pickleball
space, Carvana has identified two core
pickleball audiences: casual picklers and
pickleball enthusiasts. The casual picklers
play once or twice a month with friends or
are part of a tightknit group within their
community. The pickleball enthusiast is a
player, a pro, a person attending matches.
They're following meme accounts and
live-streaming tournaments. And they are
locked in at a certain time and date once a
week at their local court.
" It's been cool to see, and finding ways
to communicate and resonate with both
audiences and bring both audiences what
they want has been a really fun challenge
for Carvana, " says Berchem.
SPONSOR OPPORTUNITIES
As pickleball finds its groove, there are
opportunities for sponsors to solve common
pain points. Like finding a compelling
way to engage amateur players
between matches at tournaments, which
often last the entire day.
" Particularly with the amateurs, when
they win a match, it might be two or three
hours before they play again, and there's
nothing for them to do, " Gunning says.
" They'll go walk up and down sponsor
row, sample some products-and that's
fine. But it's a four-day event. "
There are also ample opportunities
to partner with athletes and help amplify
the sport, something Carvana is currently
taking advantage of through a partnership
with 16-year-old phenom Anna Leigh
Waters.
" A lot of the brands that I'm seeing
activate with athletes are pickleball-specific, "
Berchem says. " But as they continue to
learn about the sport, continue to invest,
there's room for a lot of these mainstream
brands to start working with these athletes.
There are some phenomenal personalities
in the pickleball space. "
As the saying goes: First come, first
served.
SPRING 2023 EVENT MARKETER
17

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Event Marketer Spring 2023

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