“History Will Be Made” Campaign

You all know that the main purpose of The Rat Trick blog is for me to cover the circus known as the Florida Panthers.  I have lived in South Florida since 1993 and have been a fan from day one.  You also (should) know that I am originally from Chicago, and am a Chicago Blackhawks fan as well.  So while the Panthers are not in the playoffs, (no surprise) my attention during the post season has focused on the other playoff matchup’s, with a sprinkle of other NHL news and  notes where I feel needed.  You’re not gonna get too much minor league info out of me at this point.  There’s way too much going on at the NHL level for me to do that.  Therefore being a huge fan of the sport in general, I’m sticking with what I know best. 

Today I was able to participate in a brief but very interesting conference call with the Executive Vice President of Marketing for the NHL, Brian Jennings.  A few other bloggers including some Fan Sided bloggers were invited to be on the call as well. For me this was an opportunity that I felt I could not pass up when I was informed about it.  I had to juggle my day slightly so as to remain focused on my real job, but nonetheless a great experience.

The call focused on the “History Will Be Made” campaign and how it’s affected the passionate fan base of the NHL.  The initial premise of the “spots” were to capture a handful of memorable moments in hockey history, that may have defined a particular players career.  He feels that this campaign has been a homerun!  They are so pleased with the response that these spots have generated, and that to know that so far there have been over 1.5 million viewers of the assorted commercials on You Tube. Also knowing that the passion of the true hockey fan in general which is apparently so much different than other sports, has prompted a slew of other vidoe’s to be made by our technically savvy fan base. 

The viewership of this season’s playoffs is up for both Versus and NBC.  The markets in the U.S. have embraced the games, and he feels that even the casual fan is beginning to get hooked.  Brian commented on the fact that the game is now better than it’s ever been, and that the fan base is more engaged in the product as well.  The main strategy of the ads were to initially target the avid fan as he put it, and then it was the need to demonstrate that they can drive our audience to another level.  They’ve certainly accomplished that.

There are plans to do some other creative things with this spot as well. While I don’t want to give anything away, you can count on some pretty exciting things to come, especially when the teams get into the Finals.  Brian also realizes that since hockey fans appear to be more tech savvy, passionate and driven than the other sports, the dialogue between the NHL media and other media outlets such as the internet is important to them.  This is an opportunity that they want to expand and be able to receive input on in helping develop their creativity.

Brian also spoke about the performances of the original six teams such as Chicago, Boston and Montreal, and how he remembered being in Montreal during their last Cup victory in 1993.  He was in the equipment room after the Canadiens won and things were so quiet there that Patrick Roy needed to get away from all the chaos and asked if he could come in to get away for a few minutes.  Soon other players joined maiking it a very special moment for Brian and probably crystalized in his mind how great this game is.

He loves how teams are so competitive during the games, and how nasty and aggressive that they can be during a series.  But at the end, when the series is over, he’s so impressed at how each team can put away their differences and lineup and shake each other’s hand, and offer congratulations for a hard fought victory.  “The ultimate team sport”.

There will be more emphasis on the details of the game, more access to fans in certain areas in order to give us a deeper engagement to the sport.  A word that he used quite a bit.  I was able to ask a question myself and had based it something that Tim Redinger from Sabre Noise  and I discussed briefly last night on Rink Side Rants.  I wanted to know if there were plans to give the NHL Awards and NHL Draft more exposure.  Highlighting the players that are being honored for their play during the season and highlighting the new stars of the game.  Defintely things are already in the works for players to attend events and give these special moments more  energy.  There will be opportunities for fan interaction at the host cities of the events, and chances for players to make appearances more than ever before.  The game is growing and they see what’s working and know that there is tremendous opportunity to deliver what we as fans are asking for.

In closing I’d like to say two things.  If you’re attending a playoff game in any of the next series’, do yourself and this glorious fan base a favor.  Be loud, be proud and wear your team’s colors.  You never know if you’ll be in a history making commercial yourself.

Lastly, this 30 minute call with bloggers only on it, was something that I am hoping to have at our disposal again.  A very real experience that I can say was a treat to be a part of.

Enjoy tonight’s game!  Will “History be made”?

Thanks for reading.

Your comments are welcomed and appreciated.

Cheers