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76ers Unveil ‘PHILA Unite’ Playoff Campaign Rooted in City's History

PHILADELPHIA — APRIL 11, 2018 — The Philadelphia 76ers unveiled today its integrated brand campaign for the Philadelphia 76ers playoffs, presented by Toyota. “Phila Unite” builds upon the team’s season-long “Spirit of 76” initiative by combining the bell logo, inspired by imagery from Philadelphia’s 1976 bicentennial celebration, and the segmented snake, a hidden feature on the City Edition uniform that is derived from Benjamin Franklin’s historically-significant political cartoon of 1754.

The “Phila Unite” campaign launches as the 76ers clinched their first playoff berth since 2011-12 and secured home-court advantage in the first round for the first time since the 2002-03 season. During its 51-win season, Philadelphia is holding opponents to a league-worst 42.5 field-goal percentage at home and boasts a 29-10 record at The Center.

In the past week, the 76ers playoff logo has emerged strategically throughout the city of Philadelphia:

“The ‘Phila Unite’ campaign was thoughtfully developed for our fans and city over the past several years in anticipation of this moment, the moment when the 76ers returned to the NBA Playoffs,” said Chris Heck, Philadelphia 76ers President of Business Operations. “The energy in the Greater Philadelphia Area is electric right now and we wanted to rally together all of our fans from not only this region, but from around the globe. ‘Phila Unite’ pairs the rich and storied history of our city with the passionate, proud fans who we consider irreplaceable members of the 76ers family. We’re thrilled that this moment has finally arrived and look forward to watching the best fans in the world come together for the 2018 NBA Playoffs.”

Download “Phila Unite” images of the logo, court design, uniform aspects and more HERE.

The 76ers organization has gone to great lengths to carefully detail elements of this campaign throughout the course of the season. Uniquely hidden underneath a flap on the shorts of the City Edition uniform lies the segmented snake, shown in 76ers’ blue. In 1754, Benjamin Franklin illustrated the political cartoon “Join, or Die” with a segmented snake in the Pennsylvania Gazette, a Philadelphia-based newspaper, in an effort to unite the colonies. In the 18th century, the severed snake was thought to possess the ability to be resurrected if its separated pieces were put back together before sunset.

Eleven years later, Franklin revitalized “Join, or Die” as “Unite, or Die” as an effort to bond the colonies together. Now, 250-plus years later, the 76ers will carry Franklin’s rallying cry to present day, evolving it to “Phila Unite,” and making it exclusively authentic to the city of Philadelphia.

The 76ers playoff logo now showcases “Philadelphia” in cursive script, representing the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

“The 76ers playoff logo depicting a snake intertwined with the Liberty Bell symbolizes ‘Phila Unite,’ which illustrates the tenacity and perseverance of 76ers fans who banded together over the past few seasons,” Philadelphia 76ers Chief Marketing Officer Katie O’Reilly said.

At home games during the Philadelphia 76ers playoffs, presented by Toyota, the team will wear its City Edition uniforms on a court with the “Phila Unite” logo at its center. Near the 76ers bench, the words “Phila Unite,” in white signature-style font, will be present on the court’s apron, directly linking the team to its home city.

Fans from Philadelphia and around the world can join the movement by using #PhilaUnite on social media and uploading their photos into a custom photo overlay at PhilaUnite.com. The site will include a photo gallery of 76ers players, fans and celebrities from sports and entertainment showcasing the new “Phila Unite” campaign.

The 76ers playoff schedule will be announced as soon as it is finalized by the National Basketball Association. Philadelphia’s first playoff game will be played at The Center this weekend. All fans in attendance will receive a playoff T-shirt, presented by Rothman at Jefferson. For the second home game, all fans in attendance will receive a 12-inch by 13-inch “Phila Unite” rally flag.