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NHL Aims To Capitalize On Stanley Cup Playoffs

  • DM News, Monday, May 19, 2008 10:30 AM
The National Hockey League's brand has taken a major hit in recent years. Following a strike that cost the sport the entire 2004-05 season, the NHL has struggled to regain its footing as fewer networks are interested in broadcasting the games and fewer fans seem to notice. So the NHL is trying to make the most of the one week per year the major media is paying attention.

As the Stanley Cup Finals kick off next week, the NHL will kick off a marketing blitzkrieg with direct TV spots, e-mail blasts, radio spots and online video. WPP Group's Young & Rubicam is assisting with the push. The thrust of the campaign will be getting fans to buy team-specific merchandise, but the NHL has its eye on long-term brand building as well: the direct-marketing nature of the campaign will allow the league to collect data on its audience and "set the futures market" for which teams are selling best and what fans want more of.

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