Dr. Oetker’s Giuseppe Pizzeria has leveraged social media and teamed up with female hockey stars to take its annual “Practice with a Pro” initiative nationwide.

Developed and produced by Bili Social, the campaign marks the brand’s biggest social media and influencer push since launching in Canada in 2015.

Jessica Campbell, the NHL’s first female coach, was joined by PWHL players Blayre Turnbull, captain of the Toronto Sceptres, and Marlène Boissonnault, championship-winning goaltender with the Minnesota Frost, as well as NHL legend Jarome Iginla, in 24 creatives across TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. The brand also shared the creatives on Threads for the first time.

The athletes were featured promoting a contest to reward youth hockey teams that are making a positive impact in their communities. The winning team trained with Iginla and attended the 2025 CHL Memorial Cup, a prize that marked a new initiative for the brand.

Bili Social CEO and co-founder Adrian Capobianco tells Media in Canada that the campaign tapped into the surge in popularity of women’s sports to drive brand growth across the country. Featuring professional female athletes helped reinforce the initiative’s authenticity and connect with the public through familiar faces, he says.

The PWHL’s Marlène Boissonnault (left), championship-winning goaltender with the Minnesota Frost, and Blayre Turnbull, captain of the Toronto Sceptres.

The initiative, which was launched in 2023, was previously focused in Alberta. According to Capobianco, this year’s national campaign is on track to surpass 10 million views, with strong organic performance, achieving double the participation and 30% more audience engagement compared to last year, despite limited paid support.

“It’s a strong example of how community-first content and influencer strategy can outperform paid reach, and how CPG brands are shifting their media mix to earn attention rather than buy it,” he says.

Cecile Dhanani, marketing manager at Dr. Oetker Canada, tells MiC that the initiative is a natural fit for the brand, which has a long history of supporting minor hockey clubs.

She notes that hockey has enabled the brand to form genuine connections with Canadian communities, particularly at a time when the frozen pizza market has become highly competitive.

“By creating authentic, meaningful and memorable connections with consumers through the ‘Practice with a Pro’ campaign, it allows us to be top of mind when consumers are making their purchase decisions,” she says.

The brand is conducting real-time optimization to monitor audience engagement and drive targeted views of the 24 pieces of content.