Marketplace Roundup

The NHL Thursday announced a national ad campaign promoting the Feb. 20 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic. In the 30-second commercial, a camera pans across a frozen lake in Canada and shows signs of previous pond hockey games. Canadian actor Gordon Pinsent narrates portions of the Heinz Ross poem, “Alive In All We Are.” The English version of the spot is running in the U.S. and Canada on the CBC, TSN, NBC, Versus and NHL Network. RDS will air a French-language version of the ad, including during Sunday’s Super Bowl broadcast. Both spots will continue to air on RSNs, in-arenas, NHL.com and social media platforms through the Feb. 20 game. The campaign includes print, radio, digital banners, in-store displays and social media platforms (NHL).

SO FRESH AND SO CLEAN: The GLOBE & MAIL’s Simon Houpt reports Dove’s Men+Care's new partnership with the NHL includes a pair of TV spots with NHL VP/Hockey & Business Development Brendan Shanahan and Red Wings coach Mike Babcock that follow the “journey toward discovering (their) own sense of personal comfort” (GLOBE & MAIL, 2/4). MARKETING magazine's Matt Semansky reported the Shanahan ad "debuted during CBC's broadcast of the NHL All-Star Game Sunday and was paired with a 30-second advertisement for Dove's Men+Care Body Wash." The Babcock ad will launch Feb. 20 during the Heritage Classic and "will run in tandem with a spot highlighting Dove's Men+Care anti-perspirant and hair care products." Ninety-second versions of both spots "will also run on NHL.com" (MARKETINGMAG.ca, 2/2).

GLASS HALF FULL: In Indianapolis, Curt Cavin notes IndyCar driver Paul Tracy “has been in contact with three teams -- KV Racing Technology, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing and Conquest Racing -- but said only Conquest owner Eric Bachelart is showing much interest.” Bachelart “hopes to soon receive commitments from sponsors, and Tracy, whose support comes from Honda Canada and Motegi Wheels, is optimistic he’ll be signed to a deal” (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 2/4).

HOT OFF THE PITCH: Uniform suppliers note that demand for new Chelsea F Fernando Torres home shirts is “currently 40% higher than when he arrived" at fellow EPL club Liverpool in '07. Shirt sales for new Liverpool F Luis Suarez are “380% more popular” than replicas for new Liverpool F Andy Carroll, but are “still trailing behind” Torres sales by 30 to one (MIRRORFOOTBALL.co.uk, 2/3).