The Wachovia Center had more empty seats than a Tuesday matinee. In a January game against the Pistons - the Pistons - nearly 7,000 of the Wachovia's 21,600 seats were empty.

The buzz around Philly, certainly, had little to do with its basketball team.

Fast-forward six months, and those same Sixers are fresh off an unexpected playoff appearance and have just completed a blockbuster free-agent signing in all-star power forward Elton Brand.

Sure, the he-said-she-said of Brand's departure from the Clippers is in full swing. Clippers' coach Mike Dunleavy claims Brand gave him every indication he would stay in Los Angeles, while Brand's agent, David Falk, said, quite simply, there never was a deal.

Amid that swirl, one thing is certain: The addition of Brand has boosted the Sixers' marketing capability.

"We're excited, the city is excited, and we're riding the wave," said 76ers senior vice president of business operations Lara Price, who is entering her 13th season with the franchise. "We have to strike while the iron is hot."

With the announcement of Brand's signing, the Sixers immediately began a campaign offering an autographed Brand jersey with the purchase of new season tickets.

They also implemented an automated-calling campaign with the same pitch. Price said that within a week the 76ers will have billboards with a similar theme.

Price said that in her tenure, if she had to assess, the Brand signing is in the top three of big-splash moves the organization has made. She also cited drafting Allen Iverson with the No. 1 pick of the 1996 NBA draft, as well as trading Iverson in 2006.

Price said the Sixers pick their marketing times strategically. Now would appear to be an opportune time: The Eagles are two weeks from training camp and the Phillies will have some downtime with the all-star break.

"We don't have the budget to buy all the ads," Price said. "Obviously, when we have big events like this we need to take advantage of the unbelievable exposure. We hope it's fresh in people's minds."

Price said that on Tuesday, when the rumors - unconfirmed by the organization - began flying about the potential signing of Brand, almost 100 season tickets were sold online.

On Wednesday, before the 76ers had committed any funding to advertise the Brand addition, Price said 525 season tickets had been purchased.

"You get that initial hit," Price said. "And you hope it keeps trickling in as the season gets closer."

Price said that in the valley of last year's season, when attendance was low and the team wasn't winning, they knew they were in the building stages and, as management, had to come up with creative ways - autograph sessions, dance tryouts, other gimmicks - to fill seats.

"But now with the Elton signing, he's an established all-star," Price said. "He's someone that, from an advertising standpoint, can cut through all the clutter that's out there."