Basketball Chant Sales Hook
by Zevi Arnovitz on January 18, 2026
Zevi's Basketball Chant Marketing: Converting Spectators into Customers in Real Time
Zevi Arnovitz's thermal clothing business demonstrates how creative, contextual marketing can turn a captive audience into customers through a memorable, interactive experience.
As a high school entrepreneur selling thermal clothing, Zevi identified a unique marketing opportunity at his school's basketball games. The team was dominant, often leading by 30 points in the first half, which meant spectators would lose interest as games progressed. Rather than seeing this as a problem, Zevi recognized it as an attention opportunity.
He composed a basketball chant about thermal clothes that included his phone number within the lyrics. The chant was complete with drums and a participatory element, ending with a call to action: "if you join in now we'll give you a discount." This transformed passive spectators into active participants and potential customers.
The execution was brilliantly simple yet effective. By embedding his contact information in a catchy tune with rhythm and percussion, he created a memorable audio mnemonic device. The chant became so ingrained in the local culture that years later, people in Jerusalem would recognize him as "thermal's Zevi" and some still knew his number by heart.
What made this tactic particularly effective was how it leveraged several psychological principles:
- It used the captive audience's boredom as an opportunity
- It created a participatory experience rather than passive advertising
- It attached the product to the positive emotions of community and team spirit
- It made his contact information memorable through music and repetition
- It included an immediate incentive to act (the discount for joining in)
The long-term impact was remarkable - creating brand recognition that lasted well beyond his school years and establishing him as a known entity in his community. This approach demonstrates how creative, low-cost marketing that fits naturally into a specific context can create lasting customer connections.
For product leaders, this illustrates the power of identifying unique contextual opportunities where your audience is already gathered but potentially underengaged, and creating interactive experiences that naturally incorporate your product and call to action.