BioSteel, one of the new brands spearheading the fast growing US sports hydration drink category, leveraged its inaugural season as the Official Hydration Partner of the National Hockey League (NHL) through a campaign called ‘NHL Hydration Break’.
The campaign, which was created by agency The Many and helmed by Director Trevor Paperny, leveraged the start of the new 2022/3 season which began on 7 October.
Dropping across its own social channels from 11 October and premiering on-air on ESPN from the start of the season, ‘NHL Hydration Break’ showcases the intensity of the sport and the elite focus needed during an NHL game by offering an intimate look at the competing team benches as players rehydrate between shifts on the ice.
The ad features a line-up of NHL stars from across the league enabling the brand to run localised variations of the spot across Canad and the USA. The player ambassadors featuring in the campaign included: two-time NHL MVP and Edmonton Oilers’ centre Connor McDavid, Colorado Avalanche defensive star Cale Makar, Buffalo Sabres’ defender Owen Power, Florida Panthers’ Aaron Ekblad, Vegas Golden Knights’ centre Jack Eichel, Seattle Kraken centre Shane Wright, Montreal Canadiens’ centre Nick Suzuki and young, next-generation athletes Calla Frank, Connor Bedard and Jade Iginla.
The spot closes with the copy line: “BioSteel is now officially hydrating the NHL with Clean. Healthy. Hydration.”
The objective behind the sponsorship and the campaign is to bring to life BioSteel’s mission ‘to create the healthiest and most trusted sports hydration products on the planet for pro-athletes, young athletes, weekend warriors and those just living everyday life’ and convincing them that ‘BioSteel is the better hydration option’.
Comment
This season start activation follows on from June 2022’s marketing around the 2022 NHL Draft in Montreal (where BioSteel was a presenting sponsor of national coverage across Rogers Sportsnet in Canada) which introduced the brand’s new status as the official Sports Hydration Partner of the NHL and the NHLPA, as well as following in the footsteps of August 2022’s annual pre-season ‘BioSteel NHL CAMP’ (a four-day event for 30 top hockey stars and prospects go through both on and off -ice training) promoted through an online video series.
The NHL alliance is an appropriate fit as BioSteel’s origins lie in an NHL locker room in 2009 when retired NHL player Michael Cammalleri and business partner John Celenza (a former NHLPA intern) decided to create an new, improved ‘better-for-you’ hydration option for athletes – with a zero-sugar formula, essential electrolytes and no artificial flavors or preservatives.
The new deal kicked off in full at the start of the 2022-23 NHL regular season providing the BioSteel brand with league-wide rinkside marketing (with NHL players hydrating with BioSteel during every NHL game in North America and featuring BioSteel products on every bench and in ever penalty box and goal net) and product supply rights, retail activation rights, community engagement platforms, player marketing and activation rights and more.
BioSteel’s NHL activation strategy is built on a year-round platform to activate brand programming with NHL marks, logos, teams and players, including at the NHL Scouting Combine and NHL Draft, which includes a new BioSteel-sponsored Prospects Portal on NHL.com aggregating next-generation content, including NHL Central Scouting’s rankings, player reports, NHL Scouting Combine statistics and results, interviews and more, about potential future NHL players.
Plus, BioSteel is a presenting partner of a marquee NHL social platform to be announced at a later date. As a part of its continued efforts to hydrate the next generation, BioSteel will also be the presenting partner of the Hobey Baker Memorial Award, given to the top NCAA men’s ice hockey player in the nation.
“Hockey has been an integral part of the BioSteel brand since day one, when we set out to offer a cleaner, healthier hydration product for both myself and athletes everywhere,” said former NHL player, C-Founder and Co-CEO Cammalleri when the deal was unveiled. “To see this brand become the Official Hydration Partner of the NHL is truly a full circle moment, and we’re so proud to partner with the League and the Players’ Association to support players hydration both on and off the ice and to introduce a new generation of fans to our brand and products.”
“We are thrilled to announce our new long-term partnership with BioSteel – an authentic brand that was born in the locker room, built by and for hockey players, added Keith Wachtel, NHL Chief Business Officer and Senior Executive Vice President. “BioSteel is an extremely motivated and engaged partner who is going to bring our sport to fans through their distribution channels like never before. This landmark deal includes a commitment to execute against extensive retail activations and through all the League’s media platforms, and as such, the NHL, our players and our fans are going to benefit significantly from this partnership.”
“We are thrilled to announce this partnership that makes BioSteel the official sports hydration partner of the NHLPA and NHL”, commented Mathieu Schneider, NHLPA Special Assistant to the Executive Director. “BioSteel has a long connection with NHL players, being created in and around NHL locker rooms and we are excited to now have the opportunity to utilize the profile and reach of our players to grow and strengthen this partnership with BioSteel and the NHL.”
The NHL tie-up is part of the brand’s wider, growing stable of official sports sponsorships in North America which also includes a partnerships with the MLB’s Toronto Blue Jays and USA Soccer.
Leave a comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.