The NHL and PPG have signed a multiyear partnership that will see the company become the official paint of the league in the U.S. and Canada. It is the first time the league has filled that category. The partnership will formally launch at Saturday’s Flyers-Penguins NHL Stadium Series game at Heinz Field, where PPG will receive dasherboard and on-ice branding. In October, Pittsburgh-based PPG signed a 20-year deal for naming rights at the Penguins' arena. Financial terms were not disclosed for the leaguewide deal. In addition to future Stadium Series games, PPG and its products will be featured at the Winter Classic, as well as during off-ice programs, scoreboard features and event-related activities. PPG also will receive the rights to use NHL marks and logos across several platforms in the U.S. and Canada, including on product packaging, in-store point-of-purchase displays, for contests and promotions and across social and digital marketing. PPG VP/Corporate & Government Affairs Bryan Iams said that the company expects to heavily leverage the NHL marks and team logos as part of its continued growth across North America. There are more than 630 PPG Paint stores across the U.S. and more than 250 PPG-owned Dulux stores in Canada. PPG products also are available at more than 6,000 independent dealers and more than 8,000 home improvement centers, which include Home Depot, Lowe’s and Walmart.
ROLLING THIS OUT: Because the deal is being announced near the mid-point of the season, Iams said that the company will mostly focus on digital activation around the partnership through the end of the season, in addition to physical activation with the Penguins and at the arena. PPG will roll out a more robust campaign for the start of the '17-18 season, which Iams said will likely include a full point-of-sale activation and store contest, as well as additional digital marketing and advertising. PPG worked with Paragon Marketing and partner Tony Schiller on both the naming rights and league-level partnership. Iams said Paragon will continue to advise the company on activation and branding work around these partnerships. NHL Exec VP/Global Partnerships & CRO Keith Wachtel said that the deal demonstrates how closely the league works with local clubs around partnerships, as discussions around this deal stemmed directly from the naming-rights deal. He noted that the NHL is working closely with clubs to see if companies in open NHL categories are interested in having league-level deals. Wachtel added the NHL also will look to leverage the PPG partnership as it relates to its NHL Legacy and corporate social responsibility efforts. PPG will work with the league through its Colorful Communities Initiative, which aims to enhance, protect and beautify the neighborhoods where the company operates.
