As Spring warmth arrives and before all the ice melts, May will see the puck drop on the International Ice Hockey Federation’s ‘2023 Ice Hockey World Championships’ and to build buzz and support ahead of the tournament main Finnish hockey sponsor Lidl activated its partnership through a fan-focused ‘For Those Who Support Us’ campaign based around a story of a hockey mum’s commitment and support.
After original host Russia was stripped of its tournament rights, the 2023 IIHF World Championship will see 16 nations compete for the world title between Held 12 and 28 May in Tampere (Finland) and Riga (Latvia). So, ahead of the event, Lidl – a main sponsor of the Finnish National Ice Hockey Team – teamed up with agency Folk Finland to leverage the pre-tournament excitement and boost support for Team Finland through an integrated activation programme.
The joint brand and agency marketing team hooked up with Director Pete Riski and the production team at Directors Guild Helsinki for a hero spot country rolling out across TV and digital platforms and focusing on the story of one passionate fan – a hockey mum who works at Lidl – whose support for her son’s hockey game spreads to the next generation.
The ad depicts a supportive mother’s journey through the highs and lows of her son’s sporting life. The emotive, story-focused film is backed by a moving soundtrack from Perfume Genius, premiered on the national TV Show ‘Renki in Finland’, rolled out across digital platforms and was backed by social support.
“Team Finland will be chasing the second Gold in a row in this year’s championships, so it’s going to be a thrill for us Finnish supporters! As the tournament is getting closer and closer, the advertising air is packed full of adrenaline-filled, high-energy, action films about the sport,” outlined Directors Guild Helsinki Executive Producer Juha-Matti Nieminen. “Agency Folk Finland, together with Pete and ourselves created a bit different approach for Lidl. We focused on those who support the teams and the players. Just like Lidl supports Team Finland, and every Finn supports their national team, there are real supportive people behind every single player – or a ‘lion’ as we call them in Finland! This is a story of one great supporter, whose impact goes on to create another.”
The campaign was created for client brand Lidl Finland’s Head Of Marketing Ossi Liljeström and Marketing Manager Christian Saukkola by a team at creative agency Folk Finland which included Account Director Pia Dahlman, Account Lead Johanna Murtomäki, Copywriter Sami Korjus and Art Director Paula Orre.
The production company was Directors Guild Helsinki where the team working on the project was led by Executive Producer Juha-Matti Nieminen and Director Pete Riski. Post and VFX was by Pullapost, editorial by The Assembly Rooms and music and sound was handled by El Camino Helsinki.
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This work follows on from the brand’s previous 2022 activations supporting the Finnish team which is nicknamed The Lions.
Finland isn’t the only competing nation that Lidl is backing: after all, back in September 2021 the supermarket chain was also unveiled as a main sponsor of the Swedish Ice Hockey Association (SIF) in a five-year agreement.
Partnering with national sport teams is a key pillar in Lidl’s marketing mix: especially in countries beyond its home market in Germany. For example, Lidl has also sponsored the Ladies Gaelic Football Association in Ireland (see its 2021 ‘Level The Playing Field’ campaign), as well as partnering with the IRFU (see its 2016 ‘Play Rugby’ activation) and also the England National Football Team (see its 2018 ‘Dream Big’ World Cup campaign).
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