In the high-stakes world of sports marketing, even storied franchises like the Detroit Pistons face the challenge of cutting through digital noise to engage fans and drive ticket sales. Ahead of a key matchup during the 2024-2025 NBA playoffs, the Pistons sought to energize their audience, boost ticket sales, and foster a more emotional connection with their fans. But traditional tactics weren’t enough.

To meet the moment, the Pistons leaned into an emerging trend that’s redefining marketing across industries: hyper-personalization.

A Game Plan Beyond the Inbox

While email remains a cornerstone of fan outreach, its effectiveness can be questioned, particularly during high-demand periods when numerous brands compete for consumer attention. The Pistons’ marketing team had a solid base campaign, but they wanted something with more power to convert curiosity into commitment.

This isn’t the first time the organization veered from static content. In 2016, the Pistons experimented with interactive, self-updating emails that featured real-time scores, statistics, and a traffic map showing the optimal route in and out of the arena. 

Before the game, the interactive gameday guide provided team matchups, records, statistics, and information about attending the game. During the game, it displayed live scores and statistics for all 10 players on the court. When the matchup was over, the final box score was shown.

Even then, the Pistons showed a clear willingness to invest in forward-thinking fan engagement.

Fast forward to 2024, and the Pistons have evolved that innovation even further, but this time with personalized video.

How Blings Brought the Campaign to Life

Instead of sending another static promo email, the Pistons delivered a dynamic video tailored to each fan, making them feel valued. Key personalized elements included the recipient’s first name, their live attendance history, and cumulative points seen live.

Set to high-energy music and optimized for mobile viewing, the video ended with a compelling, personalized call-to-action that encouraged viewers to purchase tickets directly from the video. This direct ask was embedded within an emotionally resonant narrative, making the transition from interest to purchase seamless and natural, and fostering a strong connection with the audience.

Behind this experience was Blings, a personalized video technology platform designed to deliver storytelling at scale.

The Results: More Than Just a Slam Dunk

The shift from generic messaging to personalized storytelling wasn’t just a creative win; it also delivered a measurable business impact.

An internal A/B test compared Blings-powered video emails to Piston’s standard campaign revealed staggering results:

• 4x increase in revenue
• 23% more tickets sold
• 69% click-to-purchase rate, with nearly 7 in 10 fans starting the video and clicking to purchase tickets

Moreover, fans didn’t just click. They watched. The average video view time clocked in at 22 seconds, signaling strong engagement with both the Pistons’ brand and the personalized narrative.

A Closer Look at Blings

At the heart of the campaign’s success was Blings, whose platform enables real-time personalization across videos sent to thousands or even millions of recipients.

Rather than a one-size-fits-all message, each fan received a video with data unique to them, embedded seamlessly into the storyline. This not only made the content feel more relevant but also more emotionally resonant. With one tap, fans could convert interest into action, specifically buying tickets without having to leave the video.

As Mike Donnay, VP of Marketing Operations for the Detroit Pistons, explained, “Through timely and tailored messaging, we experienced a significant uplift in both revenue and engagement, while also fostering more meaningful interactions with our audience.”

He further expressed his gratitude for key partnerships, such as Blings. “We are always looking for partners who can help us drive innovation and deepen our connection with fans. Blings played a pivotal role in achieving this by powering our personalized video campaign for the 2024–2025 playoffs.”

Raising the Bar for Fan Engagement

This campaign wasn’t just about selling more tickets. It was about changing how sports organizations think about digital engagement. By investing in personalization, the Pistons delivered a fan experience that felt both exciting and tailored, proving that relevance is a far more powerful lever than volume.

With Blings as their technology partner, the Pistons have set a new bar for what's possible in sports marketing. And if this campaign is any indication, the future of fan engagement won’t be static. It’ll be personalized, dynamic, and deeply human.