As part of its new partnership with the NFL, Captain Morgan is launching an activation that builds on the brand’s long-standing relationship with football.
Called “The Huddle,” the activation is a series of 12 NFL game-viewing parties at local restaurant partners, including RendezView in Toronto, Village Taphouse in Vancouver, and La Belle et La Boeuf in Montreal. One of the Toronto events will feature an interactive booth, where football fans can share their stories in a book that will be sent to the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, while enjoying Captain Morgan cocktail samples, photo opportunities and prizes.
The brand also plans to reach out to those not attending the parties with an online contest that will give participants the opportunity to go to an NFL playoff game.
The activation is being supported by a new campaign, “We Fan Different,” which aims to inspire Canadian fans to make connections with their communities through a shared passion for football, according to the brand.
“Through ‘We Fan Different’ and the ‘Captain’s Corner’ booth, Captain Morgan aims to offer an engaging experience that helps fans connect with one another in meaningful ways,” says Nadia Niccoli, head of marketing at Diageo Canada. Through the NFL, the brand is able to reach 14.5 million Canadian fans.
This is not the first time Captain Morgan has closed a deal in the sports arena.
The brand was also named the official spiced rum sponsor of the Major League Soccer (MLS) in 2020. The partnership covered all three Canadian MLS venues (Toronto FC’s BMO Field, Vancouver Whitecaps’ BC Place and Montreal Impact’s Saputo Stadium) through on-field signage, broadcast integrations on TSN and TVA Sports, as well as MLS digital platforms. That sponsorship was an extension of a deal with Toronto FC in 2018 and the five-year agreement with MLS teams in the U.S. signed in 2019.