Ciroc set to ‘Roc’ Toronto Raptors’ fans this season

Diageo Canada's Nadia Niccoli shares insights on the media plan supporting the brand's new role as official vodka sponsor.

CIROC's ad on a Toronto streetcarCîroc Ultra-Premium Vodka will “Roc The House” with The Toronto Raptors for the NBA’s 2023-2024 season.

The Diageo brand kicked off its new role as official vodka sponsor on October 25, the date of the Raptors’ victorious Scotiabank home opener, with a major activation that saw Cîroc provide free rides on Toronto’s 504 King streetcar and replacement buses between 5 p.m. and midnight.

Three sections of the streetcar were wrapped in Cîroc signage, and Nadia Niccoli, head of marketing, Diageo Canada, says, noting that the wraps and free rides were just the beginning.

“We also have completely taken ownership of ‘Roc The House,’ a new platform we’ve created in Canada for the Toronto Raptors’ partnership that you saw in arena and on court,” Niccoli tells MiC. “Then there are a few things that we’re working on with the Welcome Toronto initiative that the Toronto Raptors have with OVO… This is over and above most of the media we have planned for it.”

Strategy and creative on the campaign is by trevor//peter and MLSE, media planning and buying is by Touché! Toronto (Digital and OOH) and Diageo Canada and Vanyer (social) and public relations is Middle Child. Niccoli says that the campaign is geared towards the 25-39-year-old demographic and has a budget of $315,000.

Niccoli says her company will continue to launch new activations throughout the Raptors’ 82-game season.

“A lot of that is still in the works as the Raptors continue to refine their season,” says Niccoli. “But for us, it really is, how do we make sure we’re building a platform that really celebrates and elevates the Toronto Raptor fan, whether they’re at home, in stadium, or out and about at a restaurant, out watching the game.

“As much as it’s a Toronto-centric team, we wanted to have a national focus and make sure that we’re leaning into those cultural moments of celebration. And so we’re using platforms like The Score and a lot of social and digital media and amplification to really drive it further down the funnel.”

More OOH is also in the mix, with signage in and around the arena – the highway boards located on the Gardiner Expressway – as well message boards located within the arena, near the court and the “Roc The House” platform. Niccoli says they’re also working on a special execution with the Welcome Toronto OVO Partnership and are looking to elevate that program over the season.

She notes that the partnership builds on the already-expansive relationship between Diageo and Raptors’ owners Maple Leaf Sports Entertainment (MLSE).

“We’ve had a longstanding partnership with MLSE with a lot of our different brands,” she confirmed. “Cîroc is just a really nice marriage with the Raptors fan base, how it continues to expand and how it’s balanced male-to-female. We want to make sure that we’re speaking to all the right people, more so in the urban centres, where we’ve seen Cîroc have a lot higher market penetration. That was one of the primary reasons that we want to focus on the Raptors.”