• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, June 8, 2016

Spalding has unveiled the first of several documentaries being produced for its  #TrueBelievers campaign that broke in February and which was created with its agency Walton Isaacson. 

The iconic sports gear marketer announced the premiere of “Without A Doubt,” a documentary that portrays the stories of NBA Draft hopefuls Kris Dunn, Tyler Ulis and Buddy Hield. The film highlights the obstacles they overcame as they await the results of the NBA Draft 2016 Presented By State Farm on June 23.

Produced in partnership with SLAM, the documentary will premiere at a June 20 screening in New York City and will be available for viewing on the TrueBelievers content hub, Spalding social channels and SLAM media channels.

The potential draftees also appear in a trailer released today, as well as in their own short-form videos that will be released one per week in June, leading up to the draft.   

“Our True Believers campaign is designed to generate a conversation among millennial athletes and fans on and off the court as well as shine a light on those that put in the work that enables athletes to play their best game” said Kenyatta Bynoe, VP of marketing at Spalding. “Since the campaign launched earlier this year we have experienced a marked increase in social engagement and share of voice through our omni-channel approach.”  

The marketer also announced another new #TrueBelievers program—Spalding Basketball IQ--that provides players of various skill levels with training content and experiences, including interactive training videos and clinics led by elite athletes and trainers. 

The clinics will be held in partnership with D1 Sports Training in Winston-Salem, Denver and Los Angeles.  Each will also feature a professional athlete including Chris Paul (Winston-Salem), Chauncey Billups (Denver) and DeMar DeRozan (Los Angeles). Participation is by invitation only. 

In July, Spalding will begin a consumer promotion to aggregate content on the content hub mentioned here by encouraging consumers to share photos to Instagram and Twitter for a chance to win monthly prizes such as autographed merchandise and NBA game tickets.