Longtime NHL supporter MasterCard Canada is kicking off the 2008/09 season with two new TV spots and a contest website featuring a $20,000 jackpot of hockey-related goodies.
With creative done at Toronto-based MacLaren McCann and media buys handled by Montreal-HQ’d Marketel Communication, the first 60-sec TV ad, ‘Pep-Talk,’ will air during most of the first home games of Canada’s six NHL teams. That spot will be reduced to 30 secs in late October. Another ad, ‘Timeline,’ celebrates the determination of hockey legend Bobby Orr and will appear in NHL arenas and online.
‘The campaign is heavily entrenched in hockey,’ Lilian Tomovich, SVP brand marketing at MasterCard, tells MiC. ‘Our hockey sponsorship is part of an important mix for MasterCard, because we can reach consumers in a relevant way and draw great attention to the brand.’
Until Nov. 14, MasterCard is also cross-promoting with hockey retailer Canadian Tire to give one contestant a chance to win a $25,000 hockey prize package. To enter the Hockey Equipment for Life contest, participants use a Canadian Tire Options MasterCard to purchase select hockey gear and are automatically entered.
To enter the In It To Win It contest, which will be judged by Orr and CHL president David Branch, contestants must submit a 250-word entry outlining why their hockey team deserves prize money which can be spent on equipment, ice time or training camps.
In addition, MasterCard will continue to sponsor CHL’s MasterCard Memorial Cup, Big Brothers Big Sisters H.E.R.O.S. hockey program and four of Canada’s six NHL teams.
