The Turkey Farmers of Canada want people to think of Turkey when they think of Pickleball. Why? Well, according to Lisa Cadeau, director, national marketing campaign & brand partnerships, Turkey Farmers of Canada, “Think Turkey was looking to expand within Canada’s sports space to increase consideration of turkey as a lean and healthy everyday protein. Given the recent surge in popularity of pickleball among Canadians, it seemed a natural fit to link turkey and pickleball together.”

With more and more Canadians of all ages and fitness levels taking up of the paddle sport, which is sort of like table tennis with a larger court, there’s an opportunity for Turkey to make a healthier name for itself outside of the gluttonous holidays. Hence the new partnership between Think Turkey and Pickelball Canada.

As the official protein sponsor of Pickleball Canada, and Presenting Partner of the 2024 Myoflex Pickleball Canada National Championship, the new partners will be releasing activations ranging from athlete appearances to pop-up courts, giveaways, grassroots facets such as new youth programming to come, as well as partnership with the Pickleball Canada Regional and National Championships, which will include sideline and entrance signage, visibility during award presentations, and brand activation spaces.

Outside of the championships, Cadeau says that the partnership will be promoted across Think Turkey and Pickleball Canada’s social channels and newsletters, through exclusive giveaways, recipe ideas and more. “Athlete partners will be engaged to help amplify the partnership by sharing their favourite recipes and pro pickleball tips to keep Canadians at the top of their pickleball game,” Cadeau tells MiC.

“We are proud to welcome Think Turkey to the Pickleball Canada family of partners,” said Val Vollmin, president of Pickleball Canada, in a statement. “Turkey and pickleball are the perfect match for a healthy lifestyle, and we look forward to sharing that message with pickleball players and fans this year.”

Because it can be difficult to know if pickleballers are actually thinking turkey while they are pickleballing, Think Turkey will measure the success of the partnership in a few ways, explains Cadeau. The brand will do so primarily through increases in consumption and consideration of turkey among its target audience. “We’ll also measure success through increased share of voice for turkey, visibility on and off the court through total event attendance, on-site activations like couponing and sampling, and total audience reach through digital efforts like social giveaways and newsletters.”