The 2007-08 NBA season kicked off this week with all the typical sold-out opening night fanfare, which will quickly dissolve into regular season apathy that may-or-may-not turn into playoff excitement.
Contrary to popular belief, however, there are still some of us out here who are fans the Association, if for no other reason than to soak up Charles Barkley quotes on TNT.
One of the more interesting developments this year is that the Hornets have returned to New Orleans. They have an intriguing marketing campaign about how the Big Easy is coming back that doesn’t even touch on hoops. I checked it out for Conde Nast Portfolio, a fancy new business magazine/website that also employs Michael Lewis.
Since the 76ers will probably win about 30 games, I am adopting the Hornets as the team to root for this year. And why not? Chris Paul is a stud, Tyson Chandler is a monster on the boards and Peja Stojakovic sports a very thick beard.
The Buzz is on!
"I'm as stubborn as an Uptown oak tree," an unidentified African-American man says. "I ain't going nowhere."
The man is never named and his specific whereabouts are never identified, but his message is unmistakably being delivered on behalf of New Orleans. Oak Trees is one of four viral videos (the others are Coming Home; A New Frontier; and There's Something Here) that make up the "Don't Count Out New Orleans" campaign.
The series of vignettes was produced by the N.B.A.'s Hornets, in conjunction with Publicis, as a way to rally national support for the people who are committed to rebuilding and revitalizing the Crescent City.
The spots feature a number of locals detailing what makes the Big Easy so unique, such as Galatoire's, Preservation Hall, streetcars, and the wrought-iron balconies of the French Quarter. And it's all scored to the melancholic Dixieland music of a jazz funeral, and underscored by Hurricane Katrina.
Conspicuously absent from the shorts, however, is any mention of basketball.
"Our goal wasn't to be rah-rah or to sell tickets," says Matt Biggers, the Hornets vice president for marketing. "We felt a duty to use the exposure of the N.B.A. to show the spirit of the people here."
The campaign debuted on YouTube the first week of October and the response from locals has been overwhelming, according to the Hornets. The team's commitment to attracting the at-large business community seems legit, as the only call-to-action on the homepage is a phone number for companies interested in corporate sponsorships.
And as for attracting tourist dollars that keep New Orleans buzzing, the tone of the spots doesn't whitewash the realities of New Orleans (like, say, this Visa ad), but it doesn't dwell on them either. It's a fine line to tread, considering that many potential visitors are turned off from so-called "tragedy fatigue."
University of New Orleans associate marketing professor Pamela Kennett-Hensel, Ph.D., says that many 
local business owners struggle with the ongoing question of, "When do we stop playing the Katrina card?"
This is why the heart of this campaign is resiliency and strength, not broken levees, divisive politics, and well-worn clips of the drowning city. "A lot of citizens have told me they find it refreshing that it isn't woe-is-me Katrina footage," says Hornets president Hugh Weber.
"Don't Count Out New Orleans" utilizes snippets of personal narratives to paint the bigger picture, and developing as much goodwill within the community as possible makes good short-term business sense for the Hornets.
After abandoning Charlotte in 2002, owner George Shinn already had a reputation as a carpetbagger before embarking on an unplanned successful stint in Oklahoma City following Katrina.
The six New Orleans home games averaged only 822 fewer fans, but prior to Katrina, the Hornets were barely drawing in a town that has more ways to spend an entertainment dollar than it has ways to prepare crawfish."I find it telling that no one in these spots looks like they'd be a basketball fan," says Bethlehem Shoals, founder of the popular N.B.A. blog FreeDarko. "They're older, some are artsy, and they exude nothing resembling fan energy, but the campaign is practical, not cynical. People just don't get that excited about the N.B.A., whereas appealing to the spirit of New Orleans can't help but strike a nerve."
The Hornets have local campaigns to get people in the seats, and so far, the team has sold 6,000 full-season packages; the target is 10,000 by the end of the season. "This is traditionally a last-minute town when it comes to buying Hornets tickets," team spokesman Michael Thompson says, "so we feel confident that we'll reach our goal."
Local public-relations executive Marc Ehrhardt, of the Ehrhardt Group (which works with the Hornets), says he believes that even if there isn't a direct correlation between the ad spots and ticket sales, the commitment to the community ensures that the team will be embraced.
On a pragmatic level, the high-profile Hornets brought more than 100 employees back to a city starved for corporate money. And on an esoteric level, the franchise is letting it be known that they want to play a major part in the rebuilding and recovery of the city.
"Success down here is built on relationships," says Ehrhardt. "These spots are New Orleanians telling stories about the city, the way that we tell stories at my mama's house."
The Hornets have incorporated a number of hometown touches in their "Passion + Purpose + Pride" campaign, including a new fleur-de-lis patch on the uniform.The 2007-08 season should be a success in the "beautiful monster" of New Orleans—as one video participant puts it—because of the natural excitement of having the team back, because of the scintillating 2006 Rookie of the Year Chris Paul, and because the Big Easy is playing host to the N.B.A. All-Star game in February.
"People rally around tragedies and sports teams," says Biggers. Over the long haul, the Hornets need to have one without the other.
It remains to be seen what kind of impact "Don't Count Out New Orleans" will have, but one thing is for certain: The Hornets tip off the regular season against the Sacramento Kings on October 31 with "Halloween at the Hive," a pre-game block party featuring trick-or-treating, a costume contest and $1 beers.
Opening night tickets are still available.
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