NBA jersey patches are uniform in size as regulated by the league but the companies and other entities that sponsor the patches are varied. They run the gamut. There have been Fortune 500 companies, tech start-ups, a dumpling purveyor and even an international tourism ministry. It is a varied group every year.
Then, there’s the Brooklyn Nets new jersey patch partner, All in Won, a rising New York-based medical billing company whose target audience is healthcare executives, not consumers.
Making it even more unique, this is All in Won’s first marketing effort of any kind in any media, any forum*.* The multi-year deal likely won’t be cheap. Neither BSE Global, parent company of the Nets, nor All in Won disclosed the financial details of the partnership but the league average is $10.9 million. with deals ranging from from $5 million to $20 million annually,
All In Won was founded in 2017 by Krystal McKenna, a Nets season ticket holder for the past four years and a self-described fan “from way back in the Vince Carter and Jason Kidd days.”
It was her experience at Barclays Center and the Crown Club that made her believe that a patch deal was the best first marketing deal. Most significantly, she noted the Nets “robust digital channel ... the most engaged social media.”
“Every one is a consumer of basketball, and sports overall,” McKenna, the company founder and president told ND on Monday, “Making the fan base diverse and widespread, the Brooklyn Nets stand out with pretty much the most engaged social media presence, their full suite of marking strategy gives them leverage. A robust digital channel to connect with their audience. And they drive super high engagement and brand loyalty which aligns the synergy of my company.”
The company’s vision is to become a start-to-finish shop for healthcare practitioners and medical practices, a support site for medical back-office operations, whether it’s an individual doctor or nurse practitioner just getting out of school or a large practice with multiple surgeons. nurse practitioners, whether that support is billing, staffing or “opening doors.”
McKenna said the company has clients in all 50 states. So those medical service companies are who she wants to attract with the Nets connections. (And no, All-in-Won is not one of the collection agencies who hound those with medical bills.)
McKenna said the two sides approached each other. “I have been in the arena the last two years rather heavily and a lot of higher-ups have asked questions about my company.”
One of those “higher-ups” was Catherine Carlson, EVP/Global Partnerships at BSE Global — leading to the multiyear collaboration, per Sports Business Journal.
“We have a very tight community with our premium customers,” Carlson said. “And so it’s up to us to understand ... where her business was. I think that’s knowing your customers, one on one.” McKenna described the process as “a few girls at the Brooklyn Nets” talking about opportunity.
One thing McKenna and All in Won share with many jersey patch partners is that she is entrepreneurial. She described her career path after earning a nursing degree at SUNY Westchester Community College as going from working in doctors’ offices to creating a company that now has two headquarters and 10 account managers ... as well as a deal with an NBA team.
“I worked at straggling billing companies, companies that needed somebody with my brain power to come in and really take the company to the next level. I worked in many doctors’ offices, just doing small work,” she said, adding that her reputation was as a “dot-your-I’s, cross your t’s” professional who could scan complicated medical forms “in two minutes.”
In addition to becoming the Official Jersey Patch Partner of the Brooklyn Nets, All In Won will work with the team to recognize and honor healthcare employees and other essential workers in New York in a series of community events. Together, the groups will also host a Healthcare Workers Appreciation Night at Barclays Center, with additional details to be shared in the coming months. All In Won will also serve as the presenting partner for Nets’ Opening Night and will receive in-venue, courtside and digital LED branding all season long.
The partnership had a soft launch on Draft Night when its logo appeared on images and video Nets social media posted. Carlson told SBJ that McKenna was surprised at the response.
“Obviously having five draft picks, we were in the media a lot, and so [McKenna] couldn’t believe — just having her logo on all our social content — how much buzz that created, whether it was on her personal social media or her company’s,” Carlson said.
All in Won is the third Nets jersey sponsor in three years following WeBull, a financial firm, and Get Your Guide, personal travel guides.
All In Won will also become the presenting partner of the Nets’ Opening Night at Barclays Center this fall, and receive various in-arena, courtside and digital LED signage in addition to being featured on the Nets’ social media channels, which tipped off with the Nets’ NBA Draft content in June.