Bridgestone has signed a five-year deal extending its relationship with the National Hockey League putting its name for several years on the Leagues New Year's Day winter event, the NHL Winter
Classic.
The deal, also with the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) and the Hockey Hall of Fame (HHOF) includes both Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations) and Bridgestone
Canada Inc. (BCA) and makes the brand the "Official Tire of the NHL, NHLPA and the Hockey Hall of Fame for the five-year period.
Bridgestone gets its logo into the official game and event
mark, on-air title broadcast rights from all of the League's broadcast partners in the U.S. and Canada (NBC, CBC and RDS); branded promotional opportunities on NBC coverage of the game; camera-visible
logo placements; TV spots on arena video monitors and PA announcements. Bridgestone also gets brand placement throughout all NHL media properties - including video, print, online and radio, per the
NHL.
Beyond the Winter Classic, Bridgestone's "Official Tire" status gives it promotional access on NHL Face-Off, the Stanley Cup Playoffs, NHL Draft, NHL Awards and the NHL All-Star game, per
the League. The NHLPA side of the deal gives the tire maker use of NHL Player rights and images.
Bridgestone will support the League's media properties including NHL.com and NHL Network,
various NHL clubs and by advertising on NHL telecasts in Canada and the U.S. Finally Bridgestone will sponsor the Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award Presented by Bridgestone, and the Bridgestone Mark
Messier Youth Leadership Award.
Bridgestone has been Official Tire of the NHL for the past two and a half years, but had never signed a long-term deal around the Winter Classic, per Keith
Wachtel, NHL SVP of corporate sales and marketing. "But this is a much more expansive and long-term relationship," he says.
"The key is that it's truly a North American partnership, because
we translate strongly in the Canadian marketplace. In past years [with the Winter Classic] they were getting one offs. Now they will leverage the association over the course of the entire year. They
will begin to activate much earlier than in the past. It's about timing, in terms of merchandising this for trade and for consumers, and it's a much bigger partnership with broadcasters: they will now
work much more closely with NBC, including pre-promotions with events. Again it's not just about the U.S. It will also be in Canada with the CBC and RDS, where they will have title rights of broadcast
as well. "So it's a big, significant media property, not just leveraged in the U.S.," he says.
He points out that the NHL is the only sports property that controls its own content across
North America (via the NHL.com, NHL Network, and NHL Mobile). "That lets us provide a one-stop shop for partners," he says.
The effort was brokered by Richards Sports and Entertainment, a
division of Richards Group, Dallas, Bridgestone's AOR.