The Company That Cracked Image Search

Advertising is coming to NBA team jerseys next year. In April the league’s owners voted to allow 2.5-inch by 2.5-inch sponsorship patches on the front left shoulder of game uniforms. It’s novel real estate: No other major U.S. team sport permits such displays, though soccer clubs here and around the world have sold sponsorship on shirts for decades. To figure out how much exposure the new patches will get and how valuable they are, some NBA teams are turning to Nervve Technologies, a Buffalo-based company whose visual search software is used by U.S. intelligence agencies.

Nervve moved into sports last July, when it linked up with Wasserman, a talent agency and marketing consultant that specializes in sports. Earlier this year, according to Amy Brooks, the NBA’s head of team marketing and business operations, the league asked Wasserman/Nervve and about 10 other consultants to demonstrate how they could help teams evaluate sponsor patches. At the All-Star Game in February, both teams wore Kia logos on their shoulders. It was, in part, a test run. After team owners approved leaguewide patch sales, the NBA recommended two of the consultants, Wasserman/Nervve and Repucom, a global sports-research company. “Nervve really stood out from the speed perspective,” says Brooks. A dozen teams, including the Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic, are working with Wasserman/Nervve to analyze the market for the patches.