Pro Hockey Life (PHL) is testing out some new media tactics for its latest holiday gift-giving campaign.
Sportnet’s Tom Stewart and hockey and fitness content creator Austen Alexander (pictured) anchor the campaign for the retailer, which positions itself as “the ultimate hockey store.” PHL is a division of Canadian Tire (since 2013). Its 21 bricks-and-mortar locations in six provinces along with its online shop sell hockey equipment and officially licensed apparel and memorabilia.
Media planning is through Canadian Tire’s internal team, with Community leading creative and #Paid handling influencers and creators.
Although PHL has worked with influencers in the past, including Stewart and Alexander, this year’s multi-channel social and video campaign includes some fresh elements in the media mix.
Ads on YouTube will use the Select Custom Lineup to target audiences on hockey-related channels and other channels that appeal to players and parents, such as gaming.
Also new are also placements on Amazon Prime Monday Night Hockey and NHL Coast to Coast, as part of a Canadian Tire buy on the platform, as well as display banners and video placements on hockey-focused sections of TheScore app.
Social content will appear on Meta platforms, TikTok and Snapchat, the latter including a Snapchat AR Lens to guide users through areas of the store with holiday gifting ideas throughout the journey.
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The campaign is live now and runs right up until the final pre-holiday shopping day of the year, Dec. 24.
Joe Nanni, CCO of Community, tells Media in Canada the brand will be doing bi-weekly check-ins with its internal media team to ensure the campaign is on pace and hitting benchmarks, with plans to adjust optimization if necessary.
Nanni says the campaign objective is to drive awareness and consideration of PHL as the premier destination for hockey gifting.
The retailer measured consumer sentiment, brand perception and awareness through a pulse survey in July, ahead of its “Back to Hockey” campaign, and will run the same survey in January, after the conclusion of this year’s holiday campaign, to compare findings.
