The Experience Economy of Sports Marketing with the Atlanta Hawks’ Steve Koonin

[07:59] Multiply Content From One Big Creative Idea — The Hawks transformed a 24-hour Twitch livestream into 145 pieces of content distributed across multiple social platforms. Rather than treating content as a one-time event, the team approached it as a source of endless storytelling opportunities. The strategy generated more than one million views and helped the franchise lead the NBA’s social rankings. Steve highlights how maximizing each content investment can dramatically increase reach without requiring larger marketing budgets.

[09:37] Empower Teams to Execute Bold Creative Ideas — Steve credits many of the Hawks’ most successful campaigns to a culture that encourages action rather than excessive approval processes. Campaigns such as the OnlyFans parody and Ashley Madison promotion generated tens of millions of views because the marketing team had room to experiment. While clear guardrails remained in place, leaders avoided diluting ideas through endless revisions. The result was breakthrough work that captured attention and delivered significant earned media value.

[14:17] Focus Beats Trying to Reach Everyone — Drawing on lessons from both Coca-Cola and the Hawks, Steve argues that focus is one of marketing’s most powerful yet underused principles. Brands often weaken their impact by trying to appeal to every audience simultaneously. Instead, marketers should identify their most relevant customers and speak directly to them. By concentrating on specific communities and cultural connections, brands can create stronger loyalty, greater differentiation, and more sustainable long-term growth.

[16:00] Invest in Reachable Audiences First — Steve explains how the Hawks stopped chasing distant suburban fans and instead invested heavily in the local communities they could realistically serve. Rather than targeting people with weak connections to the team, the organization focused on building relationships with Atlanta residents and younger generations. This audience-first strategy helped create one of the NBA’s youngest fan bases and strongest attendance figures, proving that deep engagement often outperforms broad but ineffective outreach efforts.