• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, September 29, 2014

Kraft Foods Group is extending its successful, eight-year-old Canadian Hockeyville initiative to the U.S.

Kraft Hockeyville centers on an annual contest in which hockey fans nominate a community to win funds from Kraft to renovate a local hockey rink. The winning town also gets an NHL preseason game played in the local arena and broadcast on TV, and earns the "Kraft Hockeyville" title for the year. 

In Canada, Kraft Hockeyville has awarded more than $1.6 million to date toward local hockey arena upgrades in more than 40 communities.

"Hockey's popularity is growing rapidly, and this program enables Kraft to support a sport that's important to families and local communities," Julian Franklin, Kraft associate director of consumer engagement, tells Marketing Daily. 

For the first U.S. contest, which will kick off on Jan. 1 during the broadcast of the Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic, Kraft will donate $150,000 for an arena makeover.

In Canada, Kraft's Hockeyville partners are the National Hockey League (NHL), the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) and Sportsnet. In the U.S., the partners are the NHL, NHLPA, USA Hockey and NBC Sports Group. 

In addition to television, the program will employ digital advertising, events, PR and the partners' individual and shared digital assets, including www.krafthockeyville.com and Hockeyville Facebook and Twitter sites. 

A major component will be in-store and shopper marketing programs, which will include promotions featuring family- and game-friendly recipes using Kraft brands, according to Franklin.

The participating Kraft brands include A.1., Bulls-Eye BBQ Sauce, Cracker Barrel, Jell-O, Kraft Mac & Cheese, Kraft Mayo, Kraft Natural Cheese, Kraft Salad Dressings, Kraft Singles, Maxwell House, Miracle Whip, Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia, Planters, Stove Top and Velveeta. 

In addition, Franklin reports that Kraft and the NHL, which have had a sponsorship relationship in Canada for three decades, are now expanding their agreement to the U.S., so that Kraft is an official North American sponsor of both NHL and NHLPA, and a partner in events including the NHL Winter Classic, NHL Stadium Series, NHL All-Star Game, NHL Heritage Classic, NHL Face-Off and the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Kraft brands will have sponsorship exclusivity in more than a dozen categories, including roast and ground coffee, cheese, snack nuts, enhancers, packaged cold cuts and desserts.