When the Cleveland Cavaliers tipped off what would become a historic start to the 2024-25 NBA season, their front office wasn’t just focused on wins and losses. It was focused on connection. In a bold departure from typical ticketing renewal efforts, the Cavs launched a campaign that turned each fan’s season into a highlight reel, celebrating their presence, loyalty, and contribution in a way never seen before in professional sports.
Through a collaboration with Blings, the Cavs used attendance and in-game statistics to craft personalized videos for each member of their Cavs United platform, mirroring the wildly successful “Spotify Wrapped” format that turns passive consumption into personal storytelling. For the Cavs, it was more than a marketing campaign. It was a celebration of the fan as an active part of the team’s narrative.
From Spectator to Storyline
“We aimed to create a deeper, more personal connection between our membership base and the team, making them feel integral to the Cavs’ journey and capitalizing on a historic start to the 2024–25 NBA season,” said Maggie Marino, Growth Marketing Manager for the Cleveland Cavaliers. “This initiative showcased the power of personalized content to drive action, loyalty, and advocacy—becoming a core part of our marketing strategy.”
Each fan’s video was a bespoke recap of their experience: how many games they attended, how many total Cavs points they witnessed live, and even their personal win rate or how many of those games ended in a Cavs victory. These metrics transformed passive fandom into an active role, with fans seeing themselves as good luck charms, essential to the team’s momentum.
The stats weren’t generic. They were specific, hyper-personal, and celebratory, like being handed your own sports card at the end of the season.
A Digital Assist to the Membership Team
The personalized highlight videos were delivered via email and embedded with direct calls to action, such as encouraging fans to share their stats on social media, re-up their memberships, or simply take pride in the season they helped shape. The approach paid off.
According to campaign metrics, the email open rate hit a staggering 62%, which was nearly double the industry average for sports-related content, which typically hovers between 25–30%, per Campaign Monitor. Click-through rates were equally impressive at 22%, indicating that the content wasn’t just being seen, but also sparked curiosity and follow-through.
What made the campaign especially potent, however, was the emotional connection it fostered. Fans weren’t just observers; they were contributors. One fan commented, “That made me feel like I was an important contributor to the Cavs’ success story, and it’s something I’ve never seen done before.” That sentiment echoed across fan reactions on social platforms, where 53% of recipients shared their personalized recap, a viral advocacy effect most teams can only dream of. This emotional bond is what truly sets the campaign apart.
Results Beyond the Court
The success wasn’t just anecdotal. The campaign saw an 84% video completion rate, meaning nearly nine out of ten fans watched their entire recap from start to finish. This kind of sustained attention is rare in today’s short-form content environment, where even sports highlight reels often see early drop-off.
But the most strategic win was what came next: renewal behavior. While exact membership conversion figures are proprietary, the Cavs report that the campaign measurably boosted early renewals for the 2025–26 season. This aligns with a growing trend in sports marketing that prioritizes lifetime value over single-ticket transactions.
Hyper-personalization is an expectation in digital marketing. According to McKinsey, 71% of consumers now expect personalized interactions from brands, and 76% become frustrated when those expectations aren’t met. The Cavs leaned into that expectation and surpassed it.
Raising the Bar for Fan Engagement
The Cavaliers’ campaign wasn’t just successful because it used flashy data or slick video. It succeeded because it placed the fan at the center of the story. By turning performance metrics into personal memories and by presenting each fan’s attendance as part of the team’s winning formula, the Cavs flipped the script on fan engagement.
With Blings’ MP5 technology powering these dynamic and data-rich experiences, Cleveland has shown what’s possible when sports franchises treat fans more than spectators, but as something like an insider. In an increasingly digital and distraction-heavy world, the Cavs found a way to break through: not with louder messaging, but with more meaningful storytelling.
Why It Matters
The Cleveland Cavaliers’ personalized video campaign has now become a blueprint for how sports teams can transform analytics into emotional connection. In an industry where team performance can’t always be controlled, fan experience can. And by turning raw data into moments of pride and participation, the Cavs didn’t just win games, but also won hearts.
If the future of fandom is personal, Cleveland just showed us how it’s done.