Scotiabank, the official bank of the NHL, has signed on as the title partner of the 2017 Scotiabank NHL Centennial Classic.
The deal marks the first time the financial company has been named a title partner of a signature league event. John Doig, EVP and CMO, Scotiabank, said the deal was different for the brand because of the historic nature of this year’s game, which is happening on Jan. 1st at BMO Field in Toronto and launches the NHL’s year-long centennial celebrations. Scotiabank’s sponsorship was arranged by S+E Sponsorship Group.
As the title sponsor of the game, Scotiabank will have branding on-site and across the NHL’s digital platforms. The financial company will have an on-ice logo position, camera-visible dasherboards and brand exposure on the game program, videoboard and stadium announcements.
Doig said that while there are many brands involved in the hockey sponsorship space, Scotiabank tries to set itself apart by building a pyramid from the league level at the top down to local hockey.
“We have been at it for 10 years, it’s sort of like a 10-year overnight success,” he said.
Earlier this year, Scotiabank was heavily involved in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, sponsoring the fan village and launching a paid and earned social media campaign. The company used the platform as an opportunity to test new tactics with its social media, incentivizing employees to share content on social media during the tournament. The program generated 60,000 interactions overall and received a 2.4% engagement rate, which is higher than the 1.58% that Scotiabank typically sees for its paid social media posts.
The financial co also recently launched Heroes of Hockey Day in Canada, a 20-week long series with 90-second episodes that will air each Wednesday night during Scotiabank Wednesday Night Hockey. The series is part of Scotiabank’s 5th Season hockey partnership, its platform for everything the company does around hockey.
The series showcased three minor league hockey teams, The Burlington Eagles, Halifax TASA Ducks and Calgary Junior Inferno as they compete in non-hockey challenges to win a spot at this year’s Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada.
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