With the NHL’s World Cup Of Hockey underway and with just a few weeks before the puck drops on the new 2016/17 season, league sponsor Tim Hortons launched a new campaign based around an Upper Deck ‘NHL Trading Cards Collector’s Series’ with an augmented reality gaming twist.
Tim Hortons, Canada’s largest quick service restaurant chain best known for its coffee and doughnuts, first launched the campaign on 21 September when it began offering hockey fans a chance to buy three-card pack sets at selected outlets for just $1 plus tax (when purchased with a $1.99 drink) and simultaneously encouraged consumers to download the Tim Hortons Augmented Reality Hockey Cards app.
Leveraging its NHL rights and the Upper Deck partnership. Tim Horton’s customers buying drinks and a hockey cards set have two ways of immersing themselves in the augmented experience: both the cups and cards trigger the app’s AR component and allow fans to play the game.
Through the app, fans can scan their cards to see authentic models of NHL stars in their real-life environment and uncover hidden animations by scanning different card combinations side by side.
Promoted with an integrated campaign that includes TV spots led by NHL stars Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon,
digital, social (linked by the #CollectToWin hashtag),
They’re back! Make your own starting lineup this season with our @NHL Upper Deck trading cards. #CollectToWin pic.twitter.com/SO6sm8rEol
— Tim Hortons (@TimHortons) September 21, 2016
and in-store strands, the new mobile app based augmented reality game experience, developed by Seed Interactive (a Toronto based AR and virtual reality studio), is available for both Android and iOS and it recognises all 100 cards in the core set.
Once downloaded onto a mobile, the device’s camera simply scans the cup or the cards.
For example, when the maple leaf logo on the cup is scanned, the device screen displays an arena complete with crowd, lights and a giant beverage cup in centre ice over the real environment background.
While team logos scanned in the app come to life with a star player appearing alongside his personal season stats.
As a whole, customers seem to be pleased with the boosted experience of the augmented reality game for this year’s campaign. Admittedly, it’s gimmicky, but it’s still a lot of fun and that’s the point of playing with the mobile app and the cards and cups. It offers just that much more of the favorite coffee and game of Canadians.
As with last year, trading cards also takes place online with a mechanic based around each physical pack of trading cards having a unique PIN to unlock the digital trading card and fans registering at www.collecttowin.ca can collect and trade digital trading cards with others (and can also enter a competition to win one of five VIP trips to the 2017 NHL All-Star Game, one of 100 EA Sportstm NHL 17 Playstation Prize Packs and more than 120,000 other prizes).
The newly designed sponsor branded ‘Collector’s Series NHL Trading Cards’ span 99 of the NHL’s current top stars in the base-card set – plus a branded Tim Horton player card (No 001 in the set).
Fans are also encouraged to look out for special limited edition cards – such as 87 Sidney Crosby NHL Icon Autographed cards and 100 Nathan MacKinnon Autographed Timbits Hockey cards.
‘Tim Hortons has a long standing history of supporting hockey in Canada and we’re thrilled to continue this tradition through the return of our NHL trading cards,’ explained Tim Hortons Canada President Sami Siddiqui.
‘We’re excited to offer a new and engaging experience this year with this app, bringing the players of Canada’s favourite game to life.’
‘Hockey cards are an integral part of the rich history of the game; they’re coveted memorabilia, informative guides, and an eternal snapshot of a hockey moment in time,” adds NHL CMO Brian Jennings.
‘This collection of Tim Hortons Collector’s Series NHL Trading Cards will allow hockey fans – across generations – to connect with the current era of elite NHL players.’
‘We are absolutely thrilled to be a part of the next generation of hockey cards with our longtime partners at Upper Deck,’ adds NHLPA chief of global business strategies Sandra Monteiro.
‘Card collecting is something that many of our players grew up with as important parts of their lives, so to be part of such an innovative breakthrough with the Tim Hortons Collector’s Series NHL Trading Cards is something that makes us very proud to be involved with. Through this revolutionary new set from Tim Hortons, hockey fans across the country will be able to experience and have their favourite players come to life in a brand new light – via a groundbreaking smartphone interface.’
‘The set Upper Deck developed for Tim Hortons offers a variety of compelling cards fans of all ages will enjoy collecting and an incredible new experience with the augmented reality piece Tim Hortons developed,’ said Jason Masherah, President of Upper Deck.
‘The partnership last year had hockey fans flocking to Tim Hortons to get their packs and we are excited to team up once again with this new set of NHL Trading Cards.’
Comment
This initiative marks the second time that Tim Hortons has released new season NHL trading cards – but it is the first they have come in an augmented reality format.
Sports fans and hockey lovers of all ages have been collecting cards for as long as they can remember – with many passed down through the generations – and new, tech-led additions and variations to this long-time tradition keep the sports playing card hobby fresh for future generations.
But, of course, there are still those who love the old-school, in-person trading card approach.
‘People of all age groups were collectors who came to the restaurant to get the cards,’ said Tom Horton’s outlet owner Greg Crisanti.
‘This year we will be hosting a ‘trade night’ every Thursday evening (from 6 October for four weeks) so folks can come down and check out what other people have and can even make ‘trades’ to help complete their hockey card set.’
This year’s NHL activation also follows on from last year’s ‘Drive Thru’ campaign fronted by NHL stars Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon (see case study).
Tom Hortons, which was founded in 1964 by NHL hall-of-famer Tim Horton, is the Official Quick Serve Restaurant Coffee, Donut and Breakfast of the NHL in Canada and its NHL deals gives it the right to use league marks for in-store promotion and on Tim Cards and it is the title sponsor of the NHL Heritage Classic with brand logo integration across NHL media properties including NHL.com, NHL Network and NHL Radio.
In fact, Tim Hortons has a long connection with hockey: from the company’s founder to ongoing hockey initiative support programmes spanning both men’s and women’s professional and amateur games, as well as with hockey broadcasters and media outfits.
It also has partnerships with several NHL teams, including the Buffalo Sabres, Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings, Edmonton Oilers, Montreal Canadiens, New York Islanders, Pittsburgh Penguins, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs and Vancouver Canucks.
The company also sponsors properties in curling, football, soccer, basketball and baseball.
Links:
Tim Hortons YouTube:
Tim Hortons Facebook:
Tim Hortons Twitter:
@TimHortons
#CollectToWin
Tim Hortons Instagram:
Add Tim Hortons on Snapchat:
Tim Hortons Web:
NHL YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/user/NHLVideo
NHL Twitter:
NHL Facebook:
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https://www.instagram.com/nhl/
NHL Google+:
https://plus.google.com/108494779459623667377
NHL Web:
