Dive Brief:

The Golden State Warriors and Philips Lighting have joined forces to sync home lighting systems with the Stephen Curry-led NBA squad’s games, according to a press release. The first-of-its-kind sports integration is intended to bring the thrill of the arena experience into the everyday lives of Warriors fans.

Warriors fans can set Phillips Hue lighting systems to come alive for games by downloading the team’s app, turning Phillips Hue lighting on inside their homes and following a step-by-step guide. Colors will flash at the start of games, and lights will also flash to celebrate wins.

To further connect home lighting to their favorite team, owners of Philips Hue systems can program lights to shine blue and gold — the Warriors’ colors — during a game. Additionally, they can link their lighting system to apps other than the Warriors’ app to trigger actions related to sports. In the release, the example given is that lights can flash to indicate major in-game updates.

Dive Insight:

Among sports leagues, the NBA has been particularly active on social media and mobile. The Atlantic reported that, in February of last year, the organization passed one billion social-media likes and followers across the league, team and player accounts. The NBA has worked closely with Snapchat to create and push content, and inked a deal with Twitter for live programming. Professional basketball’s tech savviness suits a fan base that’s younger and more diverse than the fan basis of any of the other major sports leagues.

While it might seem like a strange tie-in at first glance, the Warriors’ collaboration with Philips shows a willingness on the part of a sports team to experiment with a novel idea to interact with fans and app users. The app integration could perhaps boost downloads and usage of the team app, and spark game viewership by signaling to the Warriors faithful when games are happening. The partnership with Philips also broadens the scope of marketers reaching into consumer homes via mobile and digital assistants to gain continual contact with consumers. Insurers and pizza eateries are among those that have gone the digital assistant route.

The Philips side of the collaboration is less surprising. Philips’ connection with the Warriors gives it a relationship with a coveted group of likely affluent and influential Bay Area residents who are highly engaged with their favorite team. Along with the app integration, the Warriors and Philips are kicking off a contest for California residents. Three Warriors fans will win a Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance A19 starter kit for every buzzer-beater this season, and a grand prize winner will receive a Philips Hue lighting transformation.

Sports-related app initiatives have proven marketers can score by tapping into fan loyalty. Nissan’s Die Hard Fans app enabling users to virtually paint their faces in the colors of their favorite teams and share images on social media generated around 466,000 downloads and over 40 million masks as of last summer. Robert Brown, senior manager of interactive marketing at Nissan North America, told MediaPost that the Nissan app led to 68% un-aided brand attribution.