How The Milwaukee Bucks Found Their SMS MVP In Attentive, With A 324x Program ROI

How ‘drafting the future’ led the Bucks to a partnership with Attentive

The Milwaukee Bucks started exploring SMS marketing in Fall 2022, aiming to find a fresh, effective way to connect with their fans and elevate their engagement game. They were excited about the real-time interaction and high visibility that SMS provides, which aligns perfectly with the dynamic world of sports marketing. The goal was clear: capture fans' attention instantly and foster immediate engagement.

After evaluating several SMS providers, the Bucks chose Attentive for its powerful features and seamless integrations. Attentive's platform stood out for its intuitive, user-friendly design, making it easy for the Bucks to hit the ground running. This partnership has empowered the Bucks to harness the full potential of SMS marketing, driving fan engagement and scoring impressive results.

“As a sports team, there's a natural built-in fandom that needs nurturing. With Attentive, we revolutionize the way we connect with our fans, bringing them closer to the action than ever before."
- Justin Price, Email Marketing Manager, Milwaukee Bucks

Shooting for success by tracking metrics that drive real growth and score big

For the Milwaukee Bucks, tracking the success of their SMS campaigns means focusing on the right metrics and understanding the ROI. With Attentive’s support, the Bucks analyze every campaign to see how it impacts their goals, whether it’s driving revenue directly or boosting fan engagement through activities like sweepstakes and giveaways.

The Bucks' main KPI for campaigns varies depending on the type of message sent. For revenue-driven campaigns focused on merchandise and ticket sales, revenue attribution is key. However, the Bucks know that not every campaign is about immediate sales. 

For example, sweepstakes campaigns focus on generating new sign-ups and growing the subscriber base. This balanced approach ensures they’re driving sales, but also building a more engaged and loyal fan community.

By balancing revenue metrics with engagement and growth indicators, the Bucks ensure their SMS strategy delivers both quick wins and long-term loyalty. This comprehensive approach allows them to continually refine their tactics, maximizing the effectiveness of each campaign and enhancing the overall fan experience. 

All-star engagement strategies

The Milwaukee Bucks have taken a strategic and dynamic approach to their program, leveraging Attentive's robust platform to engage fans and drive meaningful results. 

“SMS has given us a powerful way to keep our fans informed, excited, and connected to the team, no matter where they are."
- Justin Price, Email Marketing Manager, Milwaukee Bucks

One of the standout strategies for the Bucks has been their use of sweepstakes and giveaways on their sign-up units. They discovered that bundling prizes, such as tickets, merchandise, and gift cards, significantly increased sign-ups compared to offering a single prize. A notable example was their partnership with Fubo, where they offered a FuboTV subscription as part of the prize package. This promotion led to a 20% CTR and a ~19% increase in subscribers from the sweepstakes after it ended. It also wound up contributing to a high number of sign-ups for Fubo’s free trial—showcasing the power of collaborative marketing.

After signing up for SMS, subscribers enter the welcome journey. The message asks for them to specify what they are interested in hearing about from the Bucks, dynamically placing them into segments like tickets, merchandise, or general updates depending on their choice. This allows the Bucks to send messages that are relevant to the recipient’s interests. For example, a fan interested in merchandise receives updates about new product launches and sales, while those interested strictly on events get notifications about game tickets and special offers and are placed in a ‘Ticket Affinity’ segment.

“We strive to always offer a deeply personalized experience in order to strengthen that 1:1 connection with our subscribers.”
- Justin Price, Email Marketing Manager, Milwaukee Bucks

With Attentive’s Shopify integration, the Bucks can leverage customer data even more effectively, gaining insights into subscribers’ order history, customer behavior, and activity patterns. The result? Far more personalized, targeted messages—boosting engagement while providing clearer data on how specific groups respond to different types of campaigns.

Several automated journeys run simultaneously to maintain engagement and drive actions, with the ‘Texted a Keyword’ birthday journey standing out. Fans are asked to share their birthday month, and when they respond, this information is stored as a custom attribute. When their birthday month arrives, it triggers an automated journey, sending them a special discount code for merchandise. This personalized communication adds a meaningful touch, making fans feel valued, appreciated, and part of a ‘VIP’ experience. This journey alone boasts a 23+% CTR. 

MMS messages are a visual slam dunk, bringing fans closer to the action 

Understanding the visual nature of sports fandom, the Bucks make extensive use of MMS messages. These multimedia messages often feature player images, new merchandise, or event highlights, adding a visual appeal that text alone cannot achieve. The inclusion of player imagery, for instance, strengthens the emotional connection with passionate fans, as they see their favorite athletes pop up in their messages.

“With MMS, we’ve seen a significant uptick in fan engagement. The rich media content captures their attention and drives action."
- Justin Price, Email Marketing Manager, Milwaukee Bucks

Moreover, MMS allows the Bucks to convey more information with fewer words and less message segments. For example, a message promoting a new jersey might include a high-quality image of the product and a direct link to purchase, simplifying the decision-making process for the fan and ensuring texts aren’t long, descriptive paragraphs. 

The Milwaukee Bucks also know the importance of not making everything transactional. While it's tempting to focus solely on sales and promotions, mixing in content that builds affinity and engagement is essential. For them, this includes behind-the-scenes content, player updates, or other non-transactional messages that keep fans connected to the team in a more personal way. Even though sports teams naturally have a built-in fan base, continuously cultivating that connection is key to retention.

Fast break to revenue with Attentive Concierge™

The Milwaukee Bucks leverage Attentive Concierge to deliver relevant, on-brand responses that drive revenue in seconds using a combination of conversational AI and live agents in their automated journeys. For example, Concierge engages subscribers at critical moments, such as following up on abandoned carts with a message offering free shipping or additional product information, helping to close sales seamlessly. And the live chat feature, LiveSMS™, lives on the Bucks’ retail website—ensuring fans can get instant assistance conveniently on their mobile devices. 

“Concierge takes a huge lift off of our plate. It’s so nice to know that at any time throughout the year, whether it’s a high or low demand period, someone will always be following up with a fan to guide them down the purchasing funnel to convert.”
- Justin Price, Email Marketing Manager, Milwaukee Bucks

How Attentive's support ensures success, from tip-off to victory

Working with Attentive has been a game-changer for the Milwaukee Bucks. From Attentive’s White Glove team assisting in the set-up of new campaigns or troubleshooting issues, to the Bucks’ dedicated Client Strategy Manager providing regular check-ins and personalized support, this level of support ensures that the Bucks are always on the cutting edge of SMS marketing, leveraging the latest features and best practices.

And there are impressive results to prove exactly that.

From 2023-2024, The Milwaukee Bucks saw a YoY subscriber growth rate of ~455%, with a current subscriber list size of over 50K+.

Their welcome journey alone delivers a 104x ROI and a 38% CVR, engaging new subscribers right from the start. 

The checkout abandoner journey, powered by Concierge, scores big with a remarkable 233x ROI and a 41% CTR, effectively bringing back lost sales. The price drop journey, also powered by Concierge, nets a 28% CTR, driving excitement and urgency around discounted items. 

Campaign messages, like their ‘Playoff Presale’ message, achieved a whopping 84% CTR, showing the power of timely and relevant communications.

From their initial decision to venture into SMS marketing to the impressive results they’ve achieved, the Bucks’ partnership with Attentive serves as an inspiring example for other sports teams: driving both fan engagement and revenue.