Heading into the Winter Classic, the NHL is ramping up its marketing efforts.
The NHL and its television partners in the U.S. and Canada have collaborated on spots to promote the Winter Classic, taking place at Chicago’s Wrigley Field. The spots feature late Cubs broadcaster Harry Caray singing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”, over images of players on the participating teams — the Blackhawks and Red Wings.
The ads mark the first time in NHL history that “the league and its rights-holders have worked together to create a universal campaign for a single event.”
Meanwhile, the league and XM have partnered to promote the Winter Classic by using a “custom-built 53-foot truck” containing the equipment used to make the rink at Wrigley Field. The truck will drive from Mobile to Chicago, in a 1,200 mile journey that’s been branded The Road to the NHL Winter Classic presented by XM.
During the game itself, Reebok will conduct a “Lost Logo Challenge“, in which viewers at home and at the game become elligble to win Stanley Cup Finals tickets if they can spot the lone player on the ice whose uniform is without a Reebok logo. Quoting the Sports Business Journal, its “no coincidence that Reebok wants to draw attention to the jerseys, as both teams will debut retro uniforms from Reebok at the game.”
Post-Winter Classic, the NHL and NBC are partnering on a “Get Out of the Cold” promotion that will take place throughout the season. During each NHL telecast on NBC, two sets of fans wearing team colors will be pre-selected prior to the game. The group wearing the colors of the winning team will win a trip to Universal Studios in Orlando.
