Coyotes Leave Slogans Behind And Focus On Hockey In Latest Marketing Campaign

The Coyotes this season are "promising a marketing reset to just focus on hockey and winning," launching a new "hockey-focused effort called Coyotes 2.0," according to Mike Sunnucks of the PHOENIX BUSINESS JOURNAL. The team has sent a letter to fans and posted it on their Facebook and Twitter pages, in which it is "apologizing for past ad campaigns with slogans such as 'Join the Hunt,' 'Run with Pack' and 'Coyotes Cool." The team in '08 even created a "snowman puppet character with [a] French Canadian accent named Pierre." Coyotes VP/Marketing Josh Margulies: "Some of it's been cheesy." He indicated that the new campaign will include "several commercials with a focus on players" like RW Shane Doan and LW Max Domi. The team will run "television, digital and radio ads for the player-focused commercials." Margulies said that the Coyotes are "moving away from billboards, a staple of past ad campaigns." The team recently hired Owens Harkey Advertising, Phoenix, to "help with ads and marketing" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 10/3). ARIZONASPORTS.com's Craig Morgan noted the Coyotes 2.0 title is a "play on the team's 20 years in the Valley." Margulies: "We want to turn the page on 1.0. We want to be the next generation. We want to learn from our mistakes and we want to upgrade" (ARIZONASPORTS.com, 10/3).