BBVA to Launch First NBA-Themed Ad Campaign on Christmas Day

NEW YORK and BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Dec. 21, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- The BBVA Group (NYSE: BBVA), the Official Bank of the NBA, will officially tip off its marketing partnership with the league in the U.S. with the launch of its first NBA-themed advertising campaign TEAM. WORKS. on Christmas Day. The new commercial will air during the telecasts of the NBA’s five nationally televised games scheduled on Dec. 25, one of the most-viewed day of games during the season on ABC and ESPN.

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Like in the NBA, working with the right banking team and executing on a well-designed strategy can be a game changer. This fast-paced, action-packed commercial highlights the importance of teamwork in the NBA by showcasing high flying alley-oop slam dunks, no-look passes and the satisfaction derived by teammates after executing a well-designed play. The :15 and :30 second versions of the commercial are the result of a collaborative effort by BBVA Compass and GSD&M Idea City.

The NBA schedule on Christmas Day features some of league's marquee teams in action on ABC and ESPN. The Christmas Day schedule tips off on ESPN when the Chicago Bulls visit the New York Knicks starting at 12 p.m. ET. The action moves to ABC for a doubleheader featuring a rematch of the 2010 NBA Eastern Conference Finals featuring the Orlando Magic and the Boston Celtics at 2:30 p.m. ET, followed by the highly anticipated matchup featuring the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers at 5 p.m. ET. ESPN will close out the Christmas Day coverage with an evening doubleheader featuring the Denver Nuggets' visit to the Oklahoma City Thunder at 8 p.m. ET, followed by the Portland Trail Blazers and Golden State Warriors at 10:30 p.m. ET.

"Whether you're on the basketball court or in the financial arena, teamwork plays a vital role in determining success," said Manolo Sanchez, BBVA U.S. Country Manager and President and CEO of BBVA Compass. "Our new ad campaign provides fans a captivating visual experience of how teamwork in the NBA translates into success on the court. Our goal is to recreate that success by providing our customers with a championship caliber banking team that meets all of their financial needs. Teamwork also involves being a good teammate, which is why we are very proud to be partnering with NBA Cares to help revitalize schools in the communities we serve."

“Christmas Day is a highlight on the NBA calendar and the perfect opportunity for BBVA to demonstrate its commitment to teamwork,” said Mark Tatum, NBA Executive Vice President, Global Marketing Partnerships. “These games will be a great showcase for one of our newest marketing partners as it unveils its first NBA-themed campaign, illustrating how our Official Bank strives to be a great teammate and create winning experiences for NBA fans.”

Another key component of the BBVA and NBA partnership is support of the league’s social responsibility initiative, NBA Cares. BBVA - through its U.S. subsidiary, BBVA Compass - will be working with NBA Cares on the initiative ‘TEAM. WORKS. in Schools’  to refurbish schools in certain BBVA Compass markets including Birmingham, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, Phoenix and San Antonio. The first school revitalization project is scheduled for Jan. 13 at Jesse Jones High School in Houston. BBVA Chief Operating Officer Angel Cano, BBVA U.S. Country Manager, BBVA Compass President and CEO Manolo Sanchez will join more than 120 BBVA Compass employees along with students and NBA players and Legends to participate a day of service including painting, landscaping and a complete renovation of the library and technology center complete with  new computers, printers, books and other educational resources.

A third component to BBVA’s partnership with the NBA is a BBVA Compass - NBA mobile tour featuring a 67-foot, 18 wheel truck that transforms into 6,000 square feet of basketball activities. These activities include two basketball areas, a technology area where fans can play the latest NBA video games and a video wall with NBA game footage and BBVA Compass product and service information. The tour is scheduled to be held in Spring 2011 in ten communities within the BBVA Compass Sunbelt footprint and will allow fans to experience an authentic NBA environment. The communities scheduled at this time include: Albuquerque, Birmingham, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Houston, Jacksonville, Phoenix, the Rio Grande Valley, San Antonio and a city in California yet to be determined.

Earlier this year, to tip-off its WNBA partnership, BBVA received significant exposure during the 2010 WNBA Finals presented by adidas featuring the Atlanta Dream and 2010 WNBA Champion Seattle Storm. BBVA's logo was prominently featured on both teams' jerseys for the entire series, marking the first time a single marketing partner received exposure on the jerseys of both teams competing in the WNBA Finals, other than the league's official outfitter.

In Spain, the partnership tipped off on October 7 at the NBA Europe Live presented by EA SPORTS™ game at the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona between the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers and the defending Euroleague champions FC Barcelona. BBVA served as an associate partner of the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Regal FC Barcelona, and as the presenting partner of the Fan Zone event that lead up to the game.

The partnership with the NBA, WNBA and NBA Development League (NBA D-League) in the United States, Spain and Puerto Rico enhances BBVA's position as the 'Bank of Sports' and fully identifies the bank with the values of passion, teamwork, and fair play inherent to sports. BBVA is also the title sponsor of La Liga BBVA, Spain's top professional soccer league, and BBVA Compass is the title sponsor of the BBVA Compass Bowl in Birmingham, Alabama featuring NCAA football teams from the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and the BIG EAST Conference.

About BBVA Group

BBVA is a financial services group with more than euro 557 billion in total assets, more than 47 million clients, 7,362 branches and 105,000 employees in more than 30 countries. BBVA provides its customers around the world with a full range of financial services. The BBVA Group maintains a leadership position in Spain, Mexico, Latin America and the Sunbelt Region of the United States. BBVA is also developing strong operations in Asia, specifically in China, and has just entered the Turkish market with the acquisition of a 24.9% control stake in the Turkiye Garanti Bankasi, the first bank of Turkey.

As of September 2010, BBVA has a market capitalization of euro 37 billion and it is listed in the main international stock exchanges, London NYSE and Madrid, among others. BBVA reported in 2009 recurrent attributable profit of euro 5.2 billion, excluding one-offs. BBVA is one of the top leading Euro zone banks in terms of ROE and efficiency.

About BBVA Compass

BBVA Compass is a Sunbelt-based financial institution that operates 717 branches including 382 in Texas, 92 in Alabama, 65 in California, 77 in Arizona, 45 in Florida, 36 in Colorado and 20 in New Mexico. BBVA Compass is the 15th largest U.S. commercial bank based on deposit market share and ranks among the largest banks in Texas (4th), Alabama (3rd) and Arizona (5th). For the second consecutive year, BBVA Compass was named 'Lender of the Year' by the Small Business Administration (SBA). Additional information concerning BBVA Compass can be found on our website www.bbvacompass.com.

About the NBA

The NBA, founded in 1946, is a professional sports league and global business that features 30 teams in the United States and Canada. During the 2010-11 season, NBA games will reach 215 countries and territories in more than 40 languages. Official NBA rosters currently feature 86 players from 40 countries and territories. NBA merchandise is sold in more than 100,000 stores in 100 countries on six continents. NBA.com averages more than 26 million page views per day, with more than 50 percent of the site’s visitors coming from outside of North America. Through NBA Cares, the league, its teams and players have donated more than $145 million to charity, completed more than 1.4 million hours of hands-on community service, and created more than 525 places where kids and families can live, learn, or play.

SOURCE BBVA & BBVA Compass