When the NHL shut down in mid-March, the Coyotes asked themselves what they could do to help their local community, and they decided to work with local grocery store and team sponsor Fry’s around a campaign dedicated to social good and helping front-line workers and essential employees feeling the brunt of COVID-19. “We really wanted to be the cheerleader and give back to some of the people who were keeping Arizona going while the rest of us got to stay in the comfort of our homes,” said Coyotes Senior Dir of Social Media & Brand Strategy Marissa Mast. She explained that the club put a low four-figure spend behind the campaign, which ran April 24-May 15 and leveraged Facebook advertising. The team, which still had some marketing and digital budget remaining for the '19-20 season, re-targeted users who engaged with or viewed the team’s content with video ads from select players requesting nominations for gift recipients in the community.
GIVING SPIRIT: Led by D Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who donated $5,000, the team distributed $500 Fry’s gift cards to 10 recipients following 1,700-plus nominations. After seeing the heartfelt stories and realizing there were more people to help, Mast said, she and her colleagues across digital, marketing and sponsorship went back to ownership and asked if there was a way to do more. Ownership, led by Alex Meruelo, tripled the amount to $15,000, with the caveat that the team needed to allocate a portion of the monies to Tucson, home of the Coyotes’ AHL affiliate, the Roadrunners. “Even without games, there was an opportunity to create compelling content, engage their fan base and to do it all in a way that impacted their local community and shined a spotlight on some local heroes,” said Facebook Dir of Team & Athlete Partnerships Kevin Cote.
NEW SECTION NAME: Facebook’s Cote said there is an "enhanced focus" on the platform’s Groups feature, which the company has pushed since '17: “Whether it’s the short-term reality or a longer-term reality, Groups is a big value proposition for teams. ... It doesn’t have to just be a one-way conversation with the team giving out information, but a real forum for connection and conversation.” The Coyotes were among the first NHL clubs to launch an official private fan-centric Group, open to season-ticket holders, team corporate sponsors and select invitees. Mast said that when it became apparent the team wasn’t going to have a chance to hold viewing parties for playoff games, the team explored Groups and its communal nature. It debuted at the start of training camp in mid-July. Mast hopes the the Group "will replace the sports bar during a game or a coffee shop the next morning after a big win." At about 1,600 members thus far, Mast added that the community is largely fan-driven, but the Coyotes are exploring incorporating more exclusive content, such as hosting virtual events like a cooking or workout class.
