Case Study: Helping Niantic Promote NBA All World Through a Dynamic Branded Content Campaign

At our agency, we specialize in creating high-impact digital marketing strategies that seamlessly blend the physical and digital worlds. Our partnership with Niantic, a pioneer in augmented reality (AR) gaming, focused on the launch of their groundbreaking mobile game NBA All World, an AR experience that revolutionizes how basketball is played by merging real-world environments with digital gameplay.

Niantic, famous for worldwide successes like Pokémon Go, engaged us to promote NBA All World and establish it as a key topic within hoop culture by utilizing real-world experiences and social media. The game debuted in Paris, with a global rollout soon after. Collaborating with the creative agency Dreamspace, we were tasked with supporting the digital marketing strategy, encompassing launch videos, out-of-home advertising, and social media integrations that generated excitement within global basketball communities.

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A Unique AR Experience: Blending Real-World Metaverse with Live Events

Our aim was to design a campaign that not only showcased NBA All World as an exciting new game but also integrated it into the culture and discussions of basketball fans globally. We concentrated on utilizing Niantic’s four core pillars—encouraging outdoor activity, inspiring exploration, promoting exercise, and building connections—to develop a launch strategy that seamlessly linked the digital and physical worlds.

With our team's successful experience on the NBA All World project, we collaborated closely with Niantic’s marketing team to create a strategy that emphasized the game’s unique features. A key element of the strategy was the incorporation of real-world metaverse experiences, motivating players to interact with the game through real-life basketball events, street courts, and urban settings. This approach was vital in positioning NBA All World as more than just a mobile game—it became part of the physical spaces where basketball culture flourishes.

Paris Launch: Leveraging NBA Hype for Global Impact

The official launch of NBA All World coincided with the highly anticipated NBA Paris Game, offering the perfect opportunity to capitalize on the buzz surrounding the event. We designed a robust out-of-home (OOH) advertising campaign that “took over” Paris during the launch, ensuring NBA All World was front and center in the city’s streets, sports venues, and digital billboards.

The OOH campaign was carefully crafted to reflect the game’s blend of AR technology and basketball culture. From larger-than-life visuals of NBA players to interactive digital ads inviting fans to step into the world of NBA All World, our campaign made the game a tangible part of the city’s energy during the event.

To further amplify the launch, we produced a series of launch videos that captured the excitement of the Paris release. These videos showcased players and influencers interacting with the game in real-world environments, promoting the game’s AR features in an authentic way. The videos were edited for various social media platforms to emphasize the global reach of NBA All World, encouraging users from different parts of the world to join the conversation.

Social Media Integrations: Engaging with Hoop Culture

Understanding that hoop culture plays a significant role in the success of NBA All World, we developed a comprehensive social media strategy to immerse the game in ongoing basketball conversations. Through partnerships with influencers, athletes, and basketball content creators, we generated content that highlighted real-world gameplay, streetball environments, and player interactions within the NBA All World universe.

The campaign’s social media content was designed to spark conversations and encourage user-generated content, with players sharing their own experiences with NBA All World on platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. This organic engagement helped build a community around the game and ensured it remained a central topic in basketball culture.

Results: A Successful Global Launch and Brand Integration

The launch of NBA All World was a major success, combining real-world advertising, digital content, and social media engagement to create a multi-faceted marketing campaign. Our OOH takeover in Paris generated significant attention during the NBA Paris Game, while the social media strategy built a strong connection with the basketball community, fostering conversations and excitement around the game.

Through our work, NBA All World was able to establish a global presence from its initial launch in Paris, with fans and players alike interacting with the game both digitally and in real-world settings. The campaign seamlessly integrated the AR aspects of the game with the physical spaces where basketball is played and celebrated, making NBA All World a cultural touchstone in the world of hoops.

Niantic in 2026

In 2026, Niantic has completed a major corporate evolution, splitting its focus between being a premier "forever game" studio and a foundational infrastructure provider for the AI era. While Pokémon GO continues to anchor the gaming division with massive events like GO Tour: Kalos and the debut of Mega Mewtwo, the company's more significant shift lies in the Niantic Spatial platform.

By the start of 2026, Niantic has fully pivoted toward building the Large Geospatial Model (LGM), a digital twin of the physical world designed to provide "ground truth" for robots, drones, and AR glasses. This move beyond just mobile gaming was solidified by the decommissioning of the old Lightship.dev in February 2026 in favor of a more robust spatial intelligence suite. Even with structural changes—including the 2025 spin-off or sale of certain mobile assets—Niantic remains the dominant force in location-based technology, bridging the gap between Large Language Models and the physical environment through its unmatched global 3D mapping data.

Conclusion: Blending Digital Innovation with Real-World Experiences

Our collaboration with Niantic for the launch of NBA All World is a prime example of how we can create branded content and marketing strategies that bridge the gap between digital and real-world experiences. By combining AR technology, real-world events, and a dynamic social media strategy, we helped Niantic not only promote their game but make it a part of the global basketball conversation.