The National Hockey League’s Minnesota Wild launched a new campaign, called ‘This Is Our Ice’, which kick-starts a new franchise tradition: inviting fans from across the state to bring their own water (from local lakes, ponds and streams) to create the team’s ice surface for the new season.
The initiative aims to bring together the Wild’s diehard fans and to engage new ones and to solidify loyalty by creating a stronger sense of community and shared supporter passion.
Developed in harness with agency ICF Olsen, the ‘This Is Our Ice’ campaign launch phases reached a climax when the NHL team invited the parents of current Wild players, former Wild hockey stars and a member of the current US women’s hockey team to pour out water collected from their hometowns onto the ice at a recent game at the team’s home rink – the Xcel Energy Center,
Thus, for the 2017/18 season, the Xcel Energy center’s ice sheet includes fan contributed water collected from around the self-styled ‘State of Hockey’ which was brought to the arena, filtered and frozen into the ice.
The initiative and the fan call-to-action was spearheaded by a central anthem video,
and the campaign ran across broadcast TV,
pre-roll, paid social, display banners, in-arena, arena OOH and PR.
Wild fans were encouraged to share a photo of themselves collecting water from their favourite pond, lake or ice rink on social media using the hashtag #OurIce and explain why they chose that location for their picture and these images were collated and curated at the campaign web hub (https://www.nhl.com/wild/fans/this-is-our-ice)
@mnwild #thisisourice Collecting from Spring Lake Park in North Mankato Home of @AnthonyFord99 pic.twitter.com/J8ZGLJvtIX
— Daniel Sprague (@DanielSprague4) September 14, 2017
Throughout the campaign, participants’ hometown hockey stories were also shared on Minnesota Wild social media channels, tagged with #OurIce.
Once the initial promotional call-to-action phase was over, fans came with their portable containers on the afternoon of 16 September to ‘flood the rink’ by putting their own three-ounce H2O contributions into a Zamboni that turned it into the playing surface.
Crazy turn out for #FloodTheRink. #ThisIsOurIce @mnwild pic.twitter.com/BwNt5LjVLM
— Photographer Fred (@PhotogFreddie) September 16, 2017
A series of other, linked activities also took place at Xcel Energy Center on 16 September – including:
> The Minnesota Wild Breakaway Run
> Single-game tickets for the season go on sale
> The Wild will host an open practice for fans
> The new Wild home jersey will goes on sale
Then at the home opener on Saturday, 14 October, when the Wild hosted the Columbus Blue Jackets, a pre-game ceremony highlighted the new initiative, with additional water from some iconic Minnesota hockey hotbeds being added to the ice surface at Xcel Energy Center.
“Every winter, when our ponds and lakes freeze over, a rebirth happens as we embrace the frozen beauty of our state,” said Wild President Matt Majka.
“Lake bays become our hockey home, and everywhere you turn, kids young and old play pick-up hockey. That’s what This Is Our Ice is all about — inviting fans throughout the State of Hockey to bring a piece of their hometown hockey heritage to our arena.”
“Growing up playing hockey in Minnesota, I felt a sense of camaraderie that I believe is unique to this state,” added Wild star forward Zach Parise.
“It’s not just hockey players who are a part of the game. It’s every Minnesotan who has picked up a stick. It’s our families, friends and communities. That’s what This Is Our Ice means to me — the feeling that we are all contributing to the legacy of hockey in Minnesota.”
The initiative was developed for Minnesota Wild by a rights-holder team that included SVP of Marketing and Ticket Sales Mitch Helgerson, VP of Brand, Broadcast & Production John Maher, Web and Creative Services Manager Matt Minnichsoffer, Senior Marketing Manager Bridget Johnson, Digital Managing Editor/Content Strategist Phil Ervin, Senior Manager of Broadcasting and Production Maggie Kukar and Media Relations Director Aaron Sickman.
While the team at agency Olson included Tom Lord (Creative Director), Corey Price (Designer / Art Director), Derek Pletch (Copywriter), Jeremy Pinches (Account Director), Meredith Engelen (Associate Strategy Director), Ryan O’Hara Theisen (Integrated Production Director), Abby Stavig (Senior Producer & Line Producer), Kirsten O’Callaghan (Senior Producer), Steve Peckham (General Manager/SVP), Caroline Geiser (Account Director PR), Abby Kiefer (Associate Project Manager).
The videos were directed by Ryan O’Hara Theisen and edited by Cody Brownmusic was handled by Marmoset, the recording studio and the mix by Echo Boys, color correction by MPC NY through Ditch.
Comment:
We respect this campaign both for its objectives and its activation and the innovative way it seeks to link to fans and the players through the playing surface.
It would be certainly something of a challenge to get fans to do this in the NHL’s newest franchise in the desert bound city of Las Vegas, Nevada.
It’s just a shame the Wild started the season so slowly.
The Wild are developing a reputation for innovation: after all, the franchise was the first US professional sports team to use Snapchat Specs (see case study).
Links:
Minnesota Wild
https://www.nhl.com/wild/fans/this-is-our-ice
https://www.facebook.com/minnesotawild/
https://www.instagram.com/MinnesotaWild/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQRr7SxnnndFYuuRUtOIEnA/featured
https://uk.pinterest.com/nhlwild/
ICF Olson
