On 2 January at the 2017 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic, Dunkin’ Donuts officially kicked off its National Hockey League sponsorship activation with the launch of a new advertising campaign called ‘Brewed For This’.
After signing a deal to become the official coffee of the NHL late last year, the leverage initiative is based around the idea that ‘Dunkin’ Donuts coffee is brewed for all the moments that make hockey unlike any other sport’.
The brand claims that it is its self-declared aim of highlighting the ‘authentic connection its coffees have to these moments’ that inspired the campaign’s spearhead anthemic and relatable commercial.
The flagship spot features elite professionals and amateurs, and hockey lovers of all ages, genders and ethnicities.
The creative focuses on ‘early morning practices’, ‘the hard work that goes into being great’ and ‘the commitment to following your team’ and includes the line ‘Dunkin’ Donuts coffee is there, through it all, for those who watch, play, cheer for, and take part in the game they love, so they can keep on’.
The ad aired during the 2 January game and was then posted on the brand’s YouTube channel and other digital and social platforms on 5 January.
The campaign also drives consumers to the ‘Behind the Beans’ brand digital hub (https://news.dunkindonuts.com/blog) where hockey fans will find further campaign content such as bespoke videos and behind-the-scenes photos from film shoots with the brand’s NHL star endorsers: including New York Rangers captain Ryan McDonagh (see what they did there?), Boston Bruins centre David Backes and US Women’s Team Captain and Boston Pride star Meghan Duggan.
As the partnership activation rolls out, further #BrewedForThis content will air across the brand’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram platforms.
The partnership also saw the donut brand promoted across the NHL’s own platforms during the Winter Classic.
#WinterClassic post game @DunkinDonuts snack for the win. #BrewedforThis pic.twitter.com/2p96CI0699
— NHL (@NHL) January 2, 2017
Comment:
This is the first leverage work since Dunkin’ Donuts and the NHL announced a new corporate strategic alliance back in early December 2016.
The multi-year deal is the coffee and donut giant’s first national sports league partnership and sees Dunkin’ Donuts become the official US coffee, donut and breakfast sandwich of the NHL.
The brand also added New York Rangers captain McDonagh, Bruins center David Backes and Pride star Duggan to become official spokespersons. All will feature in a series of ads this season as well as the launch spot.
Along with the partnership announcement, the league and the sponsor released a partnership unveiling experiential, digital and social campaign that included assets based around a kids evening skate off with the New York Rangers and star player/brand endorser McDonagh.
How about that evening skate with @DunkinDonuts and @NYRangers @RMcDonagh27 last night? #Brewedforthis #ForTheKids https://t.co/MyVEcI520l pic.twitter.com/FWtQEzJTOS
— NHL (@NHL) December 6, 2016
As well as rights to the NHLs marks,
A hot coffee pairs so nice with ice. Welcome to the team, @DunkinDonuts. https://t.co/EcipXecFXl pic.twitter.com/ldxX6ZfvoU
— NHL (@NHL) December 5, 2016
How *cool* is this? We’re now a partner & official coffee of the @NHL in the U.S! First stop: #WinterClassic #Brewedforthis pic.twitter.com/DNp7EYUBgk
— Dunkin' Donuts (@DunkinDonuts) December 5, 2016
the deal will also the coffee and donuts giant leverage a rights package with assets stretching from the NHL’s rinks, LED signage and jumbotron displays
Excited to be joining the @DunkinDonuts team! Look for my ads with @RMcDonagh27 in January #brewedforthis pic.twitter.com/7LRXFnOPUl
— David Backes (@dbackes42) December 9, 2016
to the league’s broadcast platforms and its digital and social channels.
Great to see client @MDuggan10 w/ @DunkinDonuts on the front page of https://t.co/FPPPqdtPKq #BrewedForThis #WHockey #USWNT pic.twitter.com/uVe8SDwj04
— Sen. Brant Feldman (@AGMSports) January 4, 2017
Dunkin’ Donuts will even sell special NHL team logo donuts for a limited time throughout the season at participating US restaurants in select markets.
In addition to the officially launch during the 2017 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic outdoor game (which this year took place in St Louis), Dunkin’ Donuts will also feature prominently on-site at several other NHL ‘jewel’ events, including the NHL All-Star Weekend, the NHL Stadium Series and the NHL’s year-long Centennial celebration.
Plus, Dunkin’ Donuts has added a further hockey promotional pillar with a multi-million dollar partnership with NBC Sports that includes custom in-game features and dasherboard visibility, plus advertising across broadcast, digital and social media channels from 2 January running through the NHL season.
‘As the NHL celebrates its Centennial year, we are thrilled to be partnering with such an iconic league, giving our fans many more opportunities to engage with their favourite hockey teams,’ explains Tom Manchester, Vice President, Field Marketing, Dunkin’ Brands.
‘NHL fans, much like Dunkin’ Donuts fans, are some of the most loyal, energetic and passionate fans around. Dunkin’ Donuts’ coffee, donuts and breakfast sandwiches are sure to keep hockey fans running throughout the season.’
‘This groundbreaking deal, marking the NHL as the first professional sports league partner for Dunkin’ Donuts, reflects the power and reach of the NHL brand and our ever-growing fan base,’ adds Dave Lehanski, Senior Vice President, Business Development & Global Partnerships, NHL
‘Dunkin’ Donuts’ coffee, donuts and breakfast sandwiches are synonomous with hockey at all levels – whether you’re a hockey fan, parent, or player. We’re excited and proud to welcome Dunkin’ Donuts to our NHL family, and look forward to working together to engage hockey fans all across the country.’
The move sees the brand solidify its hockey positioning.
In December 2015, Dunkin’ Donuts signed up as the first corporate sponsor of the new National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL) and partnered with USA Hockey to become the Official Coffee Shop of the US Women’s National Team.
While prior to signing up as a league sponsor, Dunkin’ Donuts already had a series of NHL team local partnerships with prominent franchises including the Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Nashville Predators, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Tampa Bay Lightning and Washington Capitals.
After signing the NHL deal, Dunkin’ Donuts’ ads US partnership with the Anaheim Ducks, Arizona Coyotes, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, San Jose Sharks and St Louis Blues to its roster.
Interestingly, the partnership will sees the NHL geographically split the official partner silo between the USA and Canada.
It already has a successful and highly activated partnership with Tim Hortons in Canada where recent campaigns have included a 2016 augmented reality trading card game app (see case study) and 2015’s ‘Drive Thru Rookies’ campaign (see case study).
Links:
DunkinDonuts:
https://www.youtube.com/user/dunkindonuts
https://plus.google.com/u/0/+Dunkin-Donuts
https://twitter.com/DunkinDonuts
www.instagram.com/DunkinDonuts
https://news.dunkindonuts.com/blog
NHL:
https://www.youtube.com/user/NHLVideo
https://plus.google.com/108494779459623667377
