NHL & Bleacher Report: There’s Some Hockey In You
Gen Z wasn’t watching hockey. Not because they didn’t want to, but because they didn’t realize how much they have in common with the sport. They’re both loud, they’re both extra, they both love firing off spicy takes. They’re basically kindred spirits that have been circling each other on an icy rink, just waiting to be nudged towards a collision. This campaign did just that and helped Gen Z realize “there’s some hockey in you.” We kicked off the campaign with our film by director David Wilson which included some Easter eggs for the hardcore fans, too. Featured on Muse by Clio.
We then got Gen Z’s attention with cryptic out-of-home and guerrilla, that encouraged them to text H-O-C-K-E-Y (462539) if our headlines applied to them. And when they did text, we gave them a taste of hockey with free subscriptions, game tickets, merch… and of course, banter.
And because hockey is pucking spicy and Gen Z loves spicy foods, we created a hot sauce. We gave it out to fans and influencers on social and had them try the Hot As Puck challenge. Taste the hot sauce and try not to touch food or water for 2 minutes (the same length of time spent in the penalty box). We even had hosts of the NHL coverage get involved.
And we got some pretty great results… Our campaign garnered 14million views, and on opening night we saw Gen Z viewership increase 59% (see case study below).