Editor’s note: This story was revised from the print edition.
The NHL and NHL Players’ Association have renewed their Canadian sponsorship agreements with Visa for an additional five years.
The financial services company has been a Canadian partner for the league and players union since 2008, extending those initial deals in 2011. Financial terms of the latest agreements were not disclosed.
 |
NHL players shot video for a new Visa campaign at last month’s All-Star Weekend in Columbus. Fresh fruit and eggs (below) awaited their co-starring role in a shooting contest.
Photo by: COURTESY OF NHLPA (2)
|
To mark the renewal, Visa this week plans to launch a campaign that features eight players participating in competitions that parody the league’s all-star skills contests. Video for the campaign was shot during last month’s All-Star Weekend in Columbus.
In the video spots, players such as San Jose’s Brent Burns and Ottawa’s Bobby Ryan
compete in head-to-head events, racing to purchase a mini-stick and then having to score a number of goals on a mini-net. Other player pairings compete to see who can get dressed the fastest, or who has better shot accuracy by trying to hit watermelons and other fruit to create a salad.
The loser of each matchup then had to film a follow-up spot, where that player was forced to suffer a certain consequence — such as starring in an ad promoting the winner, or having to get a
{podcast}
SBJ Podcast:
Alex Silverman and hockey writer Ian Thomas talk with David Pagnotta, president of The Fourth Period Media, about jersey ads for the World Cup of Hockey as well as the NHL's expiring apparel deal with Reebok.
temporary pink-heart tattoo. All of the content was unscripted and shot in single takes to try to create a more competitive atmosphere.
The spots will promote Visa’s payWave contactless payment product and will be promoted through Visa Canada’s digital and social media platforms as well as via the league’s digital assets. It’s a strategy that has worked well for Visa in recent efforts, said Helena Tigert, senior director of consumer credit marketing at Visa Canada.
“When we started working with the NHL in 2008, we typically activated more around promotions, but now we’ve focused more on social media and leveraging the sponsorship to really tell a story about the product benefits that we can offer consumers,” Tigert said. “We are putting more of our spend in social, and it’s very important that the content that is being created is engaging for fans, as well as fun and creative.”
BBDO developed the campaign for Visa.
The company also, through the new deal, is aiming to work on activating more through NHLPA assets in addition to looking at league-based platforms.
Laurie Kepron, vice president of integrated marketing at the NHL, noted that Visa found success in the playoffs last year with a campaign built around social and digital efforts. The company’s new activation coming out of the All-Star Game follows suit. “Using the All-Star Game platform allows us to have a little more fun and also show off the players’ personalities a bit more, as well,” Kepron said.
Kepron said the renewed partnership also calls for NHL.com to feature a highlight video branded by Visa Canada that showcases the fastest actions on ice that week — playing off the theme of the speed at which the payWave product works.
“This campaign will be executed within two weeks’ time, so I love the complete commitment to the concept of speed in a variety of ways,” she said.
Within the United States, Discover has been the payment-card category partner for the NHL since 2010, signing a multiyear renewal in 2011.
