The NHL itself is promoting the Stanley Playoff Finals with an emotional new commercial simply called ‘Name’.
The narrative explores what it means to make a name for yourself in life (and in the NHL Stanley Cup).
Narrated by acclaimed actor and hockey fan Liev Schreiber, the creative asks ‘what’s in a name?’ and ‘who will be engraved and immortalized on the Stanley Cup in 2015?’
The spot, created by New York shop Baby Bear’s Porridge and edited by Cutters New York, features a tightly edited series of clips featuring the great NHL players – from Wayne Gretzky to Mark Messier – whose names are etched into the trophy
Initially launched on 29 May on the league’s own Facebook page and YouTube channel, the TV commercial itself will first air at the start of NBC’s broadcast of Game 1 of the finals on 3 June.
‘Every player dreams of winning a championship. In the NHL, the achievement of winning the Stanley Cup is made more special with the engraving of your name alongside some of the greatest to ever play the game,’ says NHL chief marketing officer Brian Jennings.
‘For players and fans alike, a name forever takes on a new meaning in this great game when it is hand-engraved on the Stanley Cup.’
Within three days the web version had notched up around 600,000 views.
Comment
The narration neatly matches the creative visuals as the campaign discusses how a name ‘builds a reputation, or is made greater by ‘the company it keeps’.
It’s tough to imagine too many true hockey fans who won’t be moved by the NHL’s latest commercial.
The league may have been through the wringer in the last decade, but it certainly has a strong record when it comes to creating emotionally powerful playoff and finals spots.
This year’s effort – with its powerful visuals and heartfelt voiceover – certainly stands out amidst the NHL’s strong track record of spots that includes:
2013’s ‘Handshake’,
2012’s ‘Boys’,
2010’s ‘No Words’,
and 2008’s ‘Cup Raise’.
Indeed, this great new ‘Names’ league promotion (coupled with broadcaster partner NBC’s superb 2015 Stanley Cup creative) is another small part of the ongoing reason why the NHL is once again on the rise.
After strikes, disputes, poor discipline, a lack of personality and a lack of network TV coverage, the NHL slipped back somewhat in the US sports league rankings (and was even overtaken by the upstart MLS in terms of TV viewers and live spectators).
But the NHL is now back on network prime-time television – with NBC and its various family channels (CNBC, USA Network, and NBCSN) showing the whole NHL playoffs (which includes both conference finals going to last ditch Game 7s).
This year’s coverage is certainly a marked change from the dark days back in 2005 the NHL and ESPN parted ways and the league signed a surprising three-year, $200m deal with Comcast (who oddly aired the hockey on the Outdoor Life Network – which had poor US nationwide reach into just 60 million homes).
The switch back to NBC hasn’t been without its problems and mistakes, but it has gradually improved its appeal to younger viewers with interesting marketing strands that had varying degrees of success.
These included the 2001 Stan Lee led, super hero linked The Guardian Project.
Perhaps the most successful recent NHL campaign was 2010’s ‘History Will Be Made’ – which focused on historic playoff moments set to a soundtrack that steadily built emotional power –
and which drew record NHL crowds of 32 million (the most in 36 years).
And, as TV audiences grow again, so too does sponsorship revenue.
According to IEG, sponsorship spending on the NHL and the league’s 30 clubs is expected to total $447m in the 2014-2015 season – up 9% from the previous year.
This is more than double the average 4% increase in overall sports sponsorship spending
New sponsors include Constellation, DraftKings, GoPro, Kellogg’s, Samsung, SAP, P&G.
All reflecting the reviving popularity of hockey as a North American marketing property and platform
Links
NHL YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/user/NHLVideo
NHL Website:
http://www.nhl.com/?cmpid=youtube-nhl.com-channel
NHL Twitter:
NHL Instagram:
