To generate excitement and anticipation in Canada for the all important Winter Olympic ice hockey tournament, Nike rolled out an epic commercial to front its ‘All Ice Is Home Ice’ campaign.
The impressive creative combines with a powerful message as the campaign aims to connecting with Canadian customers by leveraging the one theme that engages Canadian national identity above all others – hockey.
The spot features music by John Murphy (a soundtrack from the movie Sunshine) and includes an emotive voiceover: ‘It doesn’t matter who we face. It doesn’t matter where we play. From the smallest pond to across the widest ocean. If it’s frozen, we’re at home.’
The Nike Hockey ad, which launched a month before the start of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, closes with the campaign hashtag #AllIceIsHomeIce
The campaign also includes Facebook and Twitter strands and is further supported by outdoor and print executions.
The campaign aims to directly combat rival adidas – the official Team Canada partner – which featured in the Canadian Winter Olympic Team’s own campaign earlier in the month (see previous case study).
As well as ambushing official rights-led campaigns from official NHL partner Reebok and a major campaign (see previous case study) from Canada’s biggest sports retailer Sport Tek (which is a Premier National Partner of the Canadian Olympic Committee and the Official Sports Store of Canada’s Olympic Team.)
Comment
A clever achievement to create such a powerful hockey commercial without actually featuring any hockey being played.
With more than 1.6 million views to date it seems to have effectively connected with Canadians.
Links
TV Spot
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8gzXBpyWGM
Twitter
http://www.twitter.com/NikeHockey
Hashtag
#AllIceIsHomeIce
http://www.facebook.com/NikeHockey
