nate watson...genuis?

most of you know i love to watch basketball. i mostly watch games with nate and kris. anyways, nate send this letter to the head of public relations at Haier (they make televisons and advertise during games) asking them to buy us pizza for our NBA draft party next week. it's really funny, i guess even funnier if you know nate...

From: nathanawatson@hotmail.com
To: pr@haieramerica.com
Subject: NBA Draft Party
Date: Tue, 16 Jun 2009 19:46:55 -0400

Mr. James Liess,

My name is Nathan Watson, and I am a 32-year old basketball fan living in Indianapolis. As a longtime supporter of the NBA, I wish to thank Haier for their partnership with my favorite professional sports league. While I am sure it is a profitable venture for your company, I (and my NBA-watching friends) appreciate your willingness to support a league that has its share of detractors.

I also wish to congratulate your company for a successful televison advertising campaign during the 2009 NBA Playoffs. Haier's NBA commercials deeply resonated with my friends and me this spring. The use of the soaring anthem "Higher" paired with the images of a small child watching the NBA on a Haier TV; or the iconic shot of a stainless steel refrigerator on a highway--moments like these made the commercials deeply entertaining for us as NBA fans.

I did not write this email solely to congratulate Haier, however. I also wish to make a proposal--one that I believe makes business sense for your company.

Every year, my friends have a party to celebrate one of our favorite sporting events, the NBA Draft. As a long-suffering Indiana Pacers fan, I in particular look forward to the Draft to see which player we pick to bolster our currently struggling franchise. Anyway, my friends and I have held a party for several years. Over the last few years, our party has grown both in size and in scope. Last year, for instance, we more than doubled the size of our first party. We have also constructed an innovative Draft Board which we use to track the players each team is selecting. Needless to say, it is a fun event for my friends, especially given that it is the last chance for us to celebrate the NBA before the season ends.

As such, I am humbly asking for Haier to sponsor our NBA Draft Party. Much like your partnership with the NBA, I think this can be a successful pairing both for Haier and for our party. In particular, Haier gains the goodwill of several young NBA fans--fans who have several lifetimes of discretionary income that can be used to purchase Haier products for a long time. We are all in our 20s and 30s, and assuredly we will be called on to buy appliances for the rest of our lives. By making a small investment now, Haier will gain brand loyalty and trust for many years to come.

Now, when I ask your company to sponsor our party, I do not ask for much. This is what I have in mind:

1. Haier will buy my friends and I a large pizza and some drinks. This will cost approximately $20-$30.
2. In turn, we will rename our 2009 NBA Draft Party the "2009 Haier NBA Draft Party."
3. We will also rename our NBA Draft Board the "NBA Draft Board Sponsored by Haier."
4. We will prominently display the Haier logo (with your permission, of course) around the televison.

This is what I have in mind. Again, while this may seem to be an off-the-wall proposal for a multimillion dollar company, I think small things like this really endure in the mind of consumers.

Thank you so much for your time. I look forward to speaking with you about our potential partnership. And again, thank you for your support of the NBA. May this be a profitable venture for you for years to come.

Warmest regards,

Nathan Watson
NathanAWatson@hotmail.com