Molson Canadian extended its #Anythingforhockey tagline last week, giving two Canadian rec league ASHL teams the immersive experience opportunity to play a game at Detroit’s Comerica Park and be coached by former players like Gary Roberts, Johnny Bower, Curtis Joseph and Felix Potvin. Winning players also got to attend the NHL Alumni game on Dec. 31 and the NHL Bridgestone Winter Classic at the Michigan Stadium “Big House” on New Year’s Day.
Two online episodes featuring the experiences of the players were placed on the brand’s YouTube page. Filming and editing of the spots were done by Oreon Mounter and members of his team at MomentCo. All other work on the execution was done internally.
Chris Blackburn, senior marketing manager, Molson Brands, tells MiC the execution is part of the brand’s overall shift in plan to generate a continuous stream of content online and keep the conversation with consumers going between its larger campaigns, like its recent rollout of the first part of the Olympic campaign, which saw two friends travelling to Indonesia to deliver a beer fridge.
“We really wanted to create something that money can’t buy and something only Molson Canadian could provide,” he says. “It is about placing the fan and the drinker at the heart of the experience and making a truly unique opportunity that they will remember forever.”
The two winning teams, which hailed from Scarborough, ON. and Burnaby, B.C., respectively, won the contest by being placed in a draw after becoming one of the top five teams to enter the most times at participating Thirsty Penguin bars at the Canlan facilities where they played. According to Blackburn, roughly 1,500 teams entered the contest.
The execution takes Budweiser’s campaign from Super Bowl 2012 up a notch; that campaign saw the beer brand bringing the big league experience to the teams, with a mob of fans and professional announcers, to take their regular game to the next level.
Blackburn says the #Anythingforhockey tagline will continue through the season and into 2014-15, with a second Olympic spot being next up for the brand.
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