The National Hockey League

An Integrated Marketing Plan To

Reposition the NHL as America‟s

Number One Sport

Prepared by Joseph Deluca

2

Executive Summary 3

Situational Analysis 4

NHL History 4

Product Analysis 5

Target Market Analysis 6

Distribution Analysis 7

Competitive Analysis 8

Financial Situation 9

Historic Results 10

Primary Research 13

SWOT Analysis 15

Macroenvironment 16

Objectives & Critical Issues 17

Marketing Strategy 18

Marketing Mix 18

Positioning 20

Target Market 21

Creative Brief 22

Traditional Advertising 23

Broadcast 23

Billboard 24

Print 25

Promotions & PR 26

Community Outreach 26

Non-Profit Outreach 27

Player Interviews 28

Event Planning 29

Web Strategy 32

Social Media Engagement 32

Online Promotions 34

Campaign Schedule 36

Media Planning 37

Campaign Budget and ROI 38

Evaluation 39

Conclusion 40

Appendices 41

Appendix A 41

Appendix B 44

Appendix C 46

Appendix D 47

Appendix E 48

Appendix F 54

Executive Summary

3

We‟ve all been there. Head over heels in love with that special

someone. We can‟t sleep because we lie awake all night thinking of

them. When we do finally fall asleep, we dream about them. Unfor-

tunately, for one reason or another, it doesn‟t work out. We find our-

selves once again heartbroken .

Unlike that guy or girl that slipped away or you never even had in

the first place, hockey will always be with you and will always love

you back. Every year. Eighty-two times right on schedule . You can

count on your team to make every date. And even after all the time

you spend with your great love, you yearn for even more. You hope

to see your team make it to the playoffs and go as far as possible

just so you can spend a few more moments in the presence of

what fills your heart.

Just like a great love, you cry. You smile. You laugh. You anger.

You envy. You ride out every wave of emotion through all the trials

and tribulations and through all the ups and downs. Because that „s

what you do when you‟re truly in love. You persevere through

everything because you understand how rare it is.

But unlike some girl or guy, hockey will always give you a second

chance. Even when your team is painfully eliminated you always

have next season. Hope truly runs eternal for NHL fans. You need

to believe. You need to dream. You just need to be willing to battle

through the war. You know that you will have to fight for anything

worth having. You endure years of frustration just hoping to one day

reach the holy grail that is Lord Stanley‟s Cup. You have to be truly

committed to a relationship with your team. You have to put yourself

out there. You have to be willing to hurt . You have to have thick skin

because hockey is…

Tough Love

Just as a great love does, the NHL will grow through the “Tough

Love” campaign. By leveraging the existing market and targeting a

new one, the NHL will reach heights never thought possible. These

individuals will be targeted through an integrated marketing cam-

paign that includes traditional advertising, digital media, promotions

and PR.

The “Tough Love” campaign aims to expand the reach of the NHL in

the United States. Although this campaign specifically targets the

American consumer, it is intended to be a part of a larger marketing

initiative that reaches into Canada and possibly Europe.

Executive Summary

4

The NHL began on November 22, 1907. Frank Calder was elected

president and secretary of the NHL and agreed to work for $800 a

season. Originally, there were six NHL franchises (Boston, Chicago,

Toronto, Montreal, Detroit and New York). In its first season the NHL

saw the emergence of Montreal Canadien Joe Malone who scored

44 goals in 20 games.

During its early years the NHL faced major competition from the Pa-

cific Coast Hockey Association and the Western Canada Hockey

League. Through its history the NHL survived through an influenza

outbreak, the Great Depression, two world wars and a lockout.

Some of the league‟s greatest players are Wayne Gretzky, Maurice

Richard, Bobby Orr, Mark Messier and Mario Lemieux.

The NHL currently has thirty franchises stretching across the United

States and Canada. After the lockout during the 2004-2005 season,

the league has seen a steady increase in attendance and league-

wide revenue. The NHL is currently the only major professional

hockey league in North America and employs some of the world‟s

best athletes.

Situational Analysis

NHL Historz

NHL great Wayne Gretzky after one of his four Stanley

Cup Championships

5

The NHL features the world‟s best hockey talent. Its game is fast

paced and creates an excitement in its fans unlike any other sport.

Currently, some of the league‟s most notable players are Sidney

Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin. One potential weakness of the

NHL is that its most dominant players are foreign to the US. Other

sports leagues such as the MLB, NBA, and NFL are dominated by

mostly American athletes.

A unique selling point of the NHL is that there is constant action.

Play can go on for several minutes without a stoppage- players

even change on the fly.

In addition to its speed, lies a fierce physical presence that creates

a distinctive style not found in any other sport, which fulfills the con-

sumer‟s desire for action-packed entertainment.

Situational Analysis

Product & Serwice Analysis

NHL superstars Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby

battling it out in front of the net.

6

The NHL is most dominant in Canada and is growing its brand

in Europe by opening up regular season games in places such

as Finland, Sweden and Germany.

The NHL is more of a niche sport in the United States. It is

most popular in the Northeast .

Hockey is typically watched and played by Europeans or those

with European heritage because these are the individuals that

grow up exposed to the game of hockey.

Much of this is due to the fact that hockey is a very expensive

game to play with limited inner city outreach.

One segment in which the NHL is struggling a great deal is in

the Southeastern United States. Atlanta, Tampa Bay, Florida

(Ft. Lauderdale) and Nashville are in the bottom six in NHL at-

tendance.

Situational Analysis

Target Market Analysis Here is a breakdown of the NHL‟s target market according to an Ex-

perian Simmons Consumer Study conducted in 2009:

15.8% of the American population that is at least 18 years old

are NHL fans and of those fans 52% are under the age of 45.

NHL fans are well educated and well paid compared to non-

NHL fans as illustrated by the graphs below.

77% of NHL fans own their place of residence and 32.9% of

them own homes that value at least $300,000.

In 2009 NHL fans collectively spent $9.9 billion on online pur-

chases and 27% spent at least $1000.

NHL fans are more likely to make business decisions than

non-fans and are 54% more likely than non-fans to spend at

least $100,000 on office products.

7

Live Games

30 NHL cities that host 41 regular season games

Fans purchase tickets to these games via online, at the arena

box office or at other retail locations.

Television/Online

The NHL currently has television contracts with NBC

(broadcast) and Versus (cable).

NHL also has its own television network which can be viewed on

satellite and digital cable.

Games can be watched via online subscription through

NHL.com.

Merchandise

licensing agreement with Reebok to create all team uniforms.

Majestic, New Era, Mitchell & Ness and many others have

licensing agreements with the NHL.

Merchandise can be purchased online through the NHL and var-

ious other websites, various retail locations, individual team

stores and the NHL also has a flagship store in NYC.

Situational Analysis

Distribution Analysis

8

Primary Competition

Leader in American sports market.

A record 175 million viewers watched at

least part of an NFL game on TV through

the first nine weeks of its season.

During that time, 14 of the 15 most

watched shows were NFL games.

The MLB only trails the NFL in the

American sports market.

Thus far, many baseball markets are

on pace to eclipse last year‟s viewership numbers.

Third among North American sports allianc-

es.

Season runs most closely with the NHL‟s.

Viewership has fluctuated throughout the

season.

Situational Analysis

Competitive Analysis

Secondary Competition

More of a niche sport like the NHL.

Has been quickly growing through the United States.

Has the majority of the sports market in the Southeastern Unit-

ed States where the NHL struggles.

9

Here is an overview for NHL financial records that were released

November 11, 2009. Despite an economic recession, the NHL had

its most profitable year. During the 2008-2009 season, the league

posted an average operating profit of $6.1 million, the highest fig-

ure in the 12 years Forbes has tracked the leagues finances

(forbes.com)

Aggregate revenue (including proceeds team owners get from

non-hockey events at their arenas) last year increased $70 mil-

lion compared with the 2007-08 season, to $2.82 billion.

Gate receipts rose 1.9% to $339 million, while sponsorship rev-

enue climbed 1.9% to $1.19 billion.

The biggest revenue growth area last year for the NHL was local

TV. Chicago, Detroit and Toronto all signed huge new contracts,

boosting overall local media revenues for the league 15% to

$356 million.

Ratings on Versus (0.2) and NBC (1.0) were only good enough

to generate $80 million in rights fees for the league.

Situational Analysis

Financial Situation The NHL‟s most recent financial records were released on Decem-

ber 1, 2010. During the 2009-10 season the 30 teams combined to

generate $160 million of operating income (earnings before inter-

est, taxes, depreciation and amortization) on revenue (net of pro-

ceeds required for arena debt) of $2.9 billion (Forbes.com).

Seven teams (Maple Leafs, Rangers, Canadiens, Red Wings,

Flyers, Blackhawks and Canucks) combined to earn $241 mil-

lion, with none making less than $13 million .

16 teams were in the red, with the six biggest money-losers

(Coyotes, Panthers, Capitals, Thrashers, Sabres and Lightning)

dropping an aggregate of $63 million.

The gap in profits has greatly affected team values. The aver-

age NHL team is worth $228 million, 2.2% more than a year

ago.

* A complete list of individual team values can be found in Appendix

B

10

“Is This the Year?” (nhl.com)

Launched at beginning of 2008-2009 season

"What this campaign really represents is the hopes and possibil-

ities and anticipation for the start of the new season," said Brian

Jennings, Executive Vice President of Marketing, NHL.

The “Is This The Year?” campaign features four national televi-

sion spots with Sidney Crosby, Patrick Kane, Henrik Lundqvist

and Dion Phaneuf, in addition to team-specific television, print,

store point of sale and Web ads using players from each of the

30 member clubs.

Additionally, the NHL revamped its website and increased the

websites amount of digital content.

Situational Analysis

Historic Results Results

The Stanley Cup playoffs were the most watched on broadcast

television since 2002, while Game 7 of the finals featuring the

Penguins and Red Wings was the most-watched NHL game

(7.9 million viewers) since 1973 (forbes.com).

Last year, ratings on Versus and NBC were up 24% and 11%,

respectively.

During the playoffs, the number of unique monthly visitors to

NHL.com increased 33% year-over-year to 12.2 million.

Average reported attendance was up 1.5% from 2007-2008.

Example from the “Is This The Year?” campaign

11

Hockey is For Everyone

(nhl.com)

Hockey is for Everyone is an ongoing community outreach pro-

gram that provides support and unique programming to non-

profit youth hockey organizations across North America that are

committed to offering children of all backgrounds opportunities

to play hockey

Has reached close to 45,000 boys and girls.

Embraces three specific disciplines of youth hockey: diverse

hockey (ethnic diversity, geographic location and gender diversi-

ty), special hockey and disabled hockey.

Situational Analysis

Historic Results

12

Twitter

The NHL actively engaged its fans via Twitter during the all-star game. The NHL would ask relevant questions pertaining to the game using its twitter account. Then its followers had a chance to answer. If the fan answered correctly, he or she would be randomly entered to win an NHL related prize. Below is an example.

NHL: Q5 is now closed. Next: Q6 Who’s 1st #Flyersrep to score?

Prize: Autog Fleury puck & ASG Print. Reply:

@NHL #NHLAllStar Q6 (answer)

By using the hashtag- #NHLAllStar the game was a non-

promoted trending topic on Twitter. This essentially gave the

NHL and its all-star game free exposure. As the NHL fights for

shares in the competitive North American sports market, it needs all

the exposure it can get.

“NHL fans are younger and more tech-savvy than fans of other professional sports. With more than 50 percent of NHL fans liv-ing away from their favorite team’s home market, and the dia-logue around sports being ideal for exploiting the consumer trend toward social media consumption, the NHL’s strategy to shorten the distance between the League and fans via social media marketing is a natural.” - Syndicate Research conducted for the NHL

Facebook

Along with Twitter, the NHL got fans engaged with the Winter Clas-

sic by incorporating Facebook. The league partnered with NBC to

create a unique integration of broadcast TV and social media.

Here is a quick run down of how the “Watch and Win” promotion

worked.

Fans registered to play by signing up at www.Facebook.com/

NHL and clicking on the “Watch And Win” tab.

At various times during the 2011 Bridgestone NHL Winter Clas-

sicbroadcast on NBC, a Facebook message would appear on

screen selecting a lucky winner.

The winner was then immediately called by an NHL representa-

tive to answer questions related to the broadcast.

If the winner answered correctly, he/she would win a prize such

as a Honda CR-Z sport hybrid coupe or 2011 NHL all-star game

tickets.

Situational Analysis

Historic Results

13

Television:

56.7% either sometimes or always watch hockey on television

86.7% enjoy watching the NHL on television

58.5% would be more apt to watch the NHL if it was on ESPN

Online:

68% never watch online

Mobile Device:

89.6% of respondents never watch hockey via a mobile device

Live:

- 63.7% occasionally or never attend games

Ticket prices and game dates and times

were the two biggest factors when deciding

on attending a game

91.5% enjoying watching games in person.

qrimary Research

94.9% of

fans don’t

think the

NHL is too

violent 0.7% of fans

view NHL

players

unfavorably

0%20%40%60%80%

Last Year's WinterOlympics

Aggressive &Physical Style of

Play

Large Pool ofInternational

Players

Percent of Fans More Interested in the NHL Because

of Specific Attribute

14

The NHL‟s players, generally, lack brand awareness. This is due to

a low level of engagement in regards to the NHL by the majority

of sports fans. This is evident by the following research. Respond-

ents were asked to identify some of the NHL‟s star players. Below

are the percentages of correct responses. Notice that there is a sig-

nificant drop off after Crosby, Ovechkin and Miller who are three of

the league‟s most popular players.

qrimary Research

Sidney Crosby

67%

21%

Duncan Keith

34% Ryan Kesler

Steve Stamkos

41%

69%

Alex Ovechkin

66%

Ryan Miller

Jerome Iginla

51%

15

SWoT Analysis

Strengths

Unique Brand

Strong, passionate fan base

Parity created by hard salary cap

Use of Social Media

Popular Winter Classic event

Weaknesses

Poor television contract and ratings

Struggling markets (Atlanta, Tampa Bay,

etc.)

Large international talent pool in ethnocentric

USA

Threats

Strong Competition from other sports

leagues

Other hockey leagues

Economic Recession

Misconceptions about hockey

Opportunities

Potential NBA and NFL labor issues

HDTV & 3DTV

Untapped American Markets

Stronger Canadian dollar

Young & emerging American players

SWOT Action Plan: The “Tough Love” campaign will harness Social Media and the NHL‟s

unique brand while leveraging untapped American markets and young and emerging American

players to produce a marketing campaign that will maximize ROI.

16

Economic

One major factor is the economic recession. This has caused in-

flated ticket prices. With this came varied reports on attendance.

While some reports show an increase in overall attendance, other

reports show a number of struggling franchises with attendance on

the decline.

A stronger Canadian dollar has spurred on an increase in reve-

nue. A stronger Loonie helps teams north of the border, because

they take in revenue in Canadian dollars, but pay their players in

U.S. dollars.

Technological

A major technological benefit has been HDTV. More than any other

sport, HDTV has enhanced television programming for the NHL by

making the puck more visible and the ice more luminous. An oppor-

tunity for the NHL is 3DTV as there has never been a game broad-

cast in 3D.

Reebok „s EDGE jersey is tighter and lighter than its predeces-

sors. It makes it more difficult for players to be grabbed or hooked

and allows them to skate faster.

Macroenvironment

Cultural

Americans ethnocentric point of view appears to hurt the NHL.

Unlike other leagues, the NHL‟s best players are mostly foreign

born. This makes it more difficult to market many of the league‟s

stars.

Many individuals are turned off by the NHL because of the miscon-

ception of hockey being a game of brutality.

17

Objectives

Increase consumers‟ engagement with the brand by 10% over

the next year.

Increase fan viewership on television medium by 15% for the

2011-2012 season.

Increase league wide revenue by $100 million for the 2011-

2012 season.

Increase ticket sales by 10% for the 2011-2012 season.

Increase diversity by 10% among youth hockey clinics and pro-

grams over the next year.

Objectives & Critical Issues

Critical Issues

Poor television ratings.

Struggling markets (Florida, Atlanta, etc.).

Lack of diversity among participants.

Lack of awareness in respect to star players outside of Crosby

and Ovechkin.

18

Current Distribution

The biggest distribution challenge currently facing the NHL is its

poor television contracts.

Currently ,the NHL‟s contract with NBC runs through the 2010-2011

season. Under the contract NBC will broadcast the Winter Classic,

nine regular season games, weekend games during the playoffs

and up to 5 Stanley Cup Finals games (espn.com).

Under the contract NBC and the NHL share revenue.

The NHL‟s contract with Versus also runs through the 2010-

2011 season. Versus paid the NHL $77.5 million for the 2009-

2010 season.

Under the contract Versus covers 54 regular season games,

provides coverage for as many playoff games as possible and

two games of the Stanley Cup Finals (espn.com).

Distribution Recommendations

With the current American TV contract running out the NHL should

seek out a more lucrative deal. Specifically, the NHL needs to return

to ESPN. Consumers said they would be more likely to watch

the NHL if it was on ESPN (see primary research).

Marketing Strategy

Marketing Mix

Current Promotions

The NHL‟s competitors have done a better job promoting its

products. The major strengths of the MLB, NBA and NFL lies in

their ability to reach more consumers. The NHL lacks the brand en-

gagement of the other 3 major sports alliances.

The NHL will need to reach more consumers to compete for market

shares in the sports entertainment industry by increasing its brand

awareness and by creating initiatives to engage consumers with its

product.

The NHL has done a great job revamping its website and pro-

moting its sport through digital marketing (it is the only major

sports league that allows consumers to post content on YouTube).

Promotions Recommendations

This marketing campaign will leverage the NHL‟s strong digital

presence to create an optimal return.

This marketing campaign, while targeting the existing market, will

also emphasize targeting the Southeastern United States as that is

where the majority of struggling markets are.

19

Current Product

Presentation is extremely important to the NHL. Following the lock-

out of the 2004-2005 season, the NHL made many changes to its

game to create an overall better representation of its sport.

Some of the changes included: stricter enforcement of obstruction

penalties to create a faster game with more flow, the elimination of

the two line pass to spur on scoring and excitement and only allow-

ing teams 15 seconds to change after a stoppage to speed up the

pace of the game.

Additionally, the NHL is creating new initiatives to improve player‟s

safety, specifically with head injuries and concussions.

Product Recommendations

The NHL should change its point system as follows:

- Regulation time wins should count as 3 points

- Overtime/Shootout wins should count as 2 points

- Overtime/Shootout losses should count as 1 point

This would put a greater emphasis on regulation victories and

would make it easier for fans to understand because every game

would award 3 points .

Marketing Strategy

Marketing Mix

Current Price

Currently the NHL has the second cheapest average ticket price

among the four major sports alliances. Only the MLB is cheaper,

but baseball teams play twice as many games so demand for tick-

ets is lower (sportsbusinesssims.com).

Ticket prices communicate that the NHL is an affordable form of

sports entertainment but still high enough to insinuate a quality

product.

The current pricing fits in well with the NHL‟s strategy as the latest

findings show an increase in league revenue and overall attend-

ance. Specific pricing statistics regarding the four major sports alli-

ances can be found in Appendix C

Pricing Recommendations

The current price points should only be changed to facilitate any

inflation or deflation that may occur.

The NHL should continue to use its Variable ticket pricing (games

are deemed value, bronze, silver, gold or platinum based on the

opponent and when the game is being played).

This makes games accessible to everyone.

20

Current

Currently the NHL is considered by many to be a second rate sports

league behind the NFL, MLB and NBA. Although the NHL has a

very passionate fan base, it is more of a niche sport than it is popu-

lar sport for the general audience.

Much of this can be attributed to the lack of product knowledge by

the consumer. Most people know what the NHL is, but beyond a

basic understanding little else is known. From this ignorance comes

misunderstandings and misconceptions about what the game of

hockey and the NHL is actually about.

Many consumers fail to understand the many unique features of the

NHL that cannot be found in any other sport or entertainment, such

as: sudden death overtime in both the playoffs and regular season,

its unrivaled and sustained fast pace tempo, the unparalleled skill of

its athletes (think of playing another sports on ice skates) and its

unheralded blend of speed and physicality.

All of these features come together to feed the consumers hun-

ger for an exciting and one-of-a-kind entertainment experience.

Marketing Strategy

Positioning

Future

The “Tough Love” campaign is aimed to position the NHL as a top

tier sports league and position it as a sport Americans can identify

with and enjoy.

The NHL will be positioned as a top-tier sport and will be enjoyed

by a wider audience. It will no longer trail the NBA, NFL and MLB.

Through increasing engagement consumers will be more knowl-

edgeable about the game of hockey and the NHL. This will create a

new understanding and hopefully a newfound desire to watch and

participate in NHL related events.

Positioning Statement: The major goal of the “Tough Love” cam-

paign is to position the NHL as a top-tier sport alongside the NBA,

NFL, and MLB among the American consumer.

21

Primary Markets

The primary market for the NHL are 25-44-year-old white

men who are typically from the North and Northeast United

States.

These individuals are passionate and very loyal to the NHL

brand.

NHL fans are typically younger, better educated and have a

higher income compared to other sports fans. ( more infor-

mation on this target market can be found on page 6).

Marketing Strategy

Target Marketing

Secondary Markets

25-44-year-old males from the Southeastern United States.

Currently, NHL teams in this region are struggling to attract fans.

Atlanta, Tampa Bay, Florida (Ft. Lauderdale) and Nashville are

in the bottom six in NHL attendance.

This demographic typically enjoys sports but not hockey be-

cause they, for the most part, have little knowledge about the

sport.

22

Background: Why are we advertising?

We are advertising because the NHL is most often the fourth choice in sports entertainment behind the NBA, NFL and MLB and some-times even falls behind collegiate sports such as football and bas-ketball. We want to gain market share in the sports entertainment sector.

Whom are we talking to?

We are primarily talking to males ages 25-44 years old that typical-ly reside in the North or Northeastern part of the United States. Secondarily we are talking to males aged 25-44 years old in the Southeastern United States.

What do they currently think?

They currently think that the NHL either doesn‟t or cannot fulfill their entertainment needs because it doesn‟t relate to them or their inter-ests.

What would we like them to think?

We would like them to think that they can relate to the NHL as it ac-tually contains some of their interests and ideologies.

What is the single most persuasive idea we can convey?

The NHL is a rough and tough sport filled with non-stop adrenaline pumping action.

Why should they believe it?

Because the NHL is truly a great game with elements of other sports and other forms of entertainment in it that the target market enjoys and identifies with.

Are there any creative guidelines or mandatories?

NHL logo and heart logo must be present

Tone of voice?

Whimsical, capricious and rugged

Creative Brief

Tagline: Hockey. Tough Love.

23

Sports Themed Commercials

10-second spots will be featured with the “Tough Love” cam-

paign to increase brand awareness.

The point can be portrayed quickly and effectively in this time

frame and it will prove to be cost efficient.

One set of commercials will depict a typical sporting event

(other than hockey) . The commercial will begin as if it were a

typical game, then suddenly a hockey player will interrupt it. The

battered heart appears , beats and then the spot ends with the

tagline.

The commercials will feature prominent hockey players to gain

exposure.

Love Parallel commercials

These commercials will be targeted to attract a wider audience

within the target market instead of just those who enjoy sports

as anyone can relate to love.

These will be 30-second spots that create a connection be-

tween the NHL and the theme of “Tough Love.”

This is a theme that just about anyone can relate to.

Traditional Advertising

Broadcast

* Storyboards can be found in Appendix F

24

These billboard ads will work in conjunction with the television

spots.

The billboards feature a hockey player knocking off an athlete

from another sport. The athlete is literally coming off the bill-

board.

The billboards are intentionally off-center to show the displace-

ment caused by the hockey player.

There will also be a billboard featuring the primary image of the

campaign (top right).

Traditional Advertising

Billboard

25

This ad features the main visual component behind the “Tough

Love” Campaign.

It is a sandpaper heart laying on the ice that has been broken,

bandaged, bloodied and sutured

It will stand out among other ads because it expands beyond

visual appeal as readers can actually feel the rough sandpaper

heart.

It will be featured in Sports Illustrated, Men‟s Health, The Sport-

ing News and GQ.

It will run before the 2011-2012 NHL season begins to create a

buzz for the upcoming season and will also run throughout the

season.

Traditional Advertising

Print

26

Hockey is For Everyone Expansion

One of the key components to the “Tough Love” Campaign will be

community outreach. Currently the NHL has the “Hockey is For

Everyone” initiative (see page 11). This is a great program but it

must be expanded upon to reach more children. In an effort to in-

crease diversity in the game and increase engagement with the

brand, more children must be reached by:

Working with each individual franchise to maintain, expand upon

or develop youth hockey programs in their respective markets,

with particular attention being paid to struggling markets.

Seeking donations from NHL sponsors to purchase equipment,

refurbish arenas, etc.

Seek active volunteers by offering discounted ticket prices and

free NHL merchandise for participation in the program.

Holding free hockey clinics at more locations, more often, espe-

cially in inner cities to attract diversity to the game.

qromotions & qR

Communitz Outreach

“Show Some Love” Donations

To help with “The Hockey is For Everyone” initiative and to drive

ticket sales fans can donate new or gently used hockey equip-

ment at their local NHL arena.

In exchange, they will receive a voucher to purchase discounted

tickets at their respective arenas.

27

“Show Some Tough Love”

The NHL will work with the American Heart Association in a unique

branding effort to promote heart health and awareness of cardio

vascular disease. This PR initiative will be integrated with the

“Tough Love” campaign. Sometimes it‟s necessary to “show some

tough love” for those we care about especially when it comes to

their heart.

The NHL would reach out to hospitals and clinics to inform them

of the program and supply them with vouchers.

The vouchers would be good for discounted tickets to select

NHL games.

Consumers would obtain the vouchers by going to a participat-

ing hospital or clinic and getting an echocardiogram, physical or

any other preventative heart disease measure.

This campaign would be beneficial for both the American Heart As-

sociation and the NHL. The NHL can drive ticket sales and attract

new fans because the vouchers would be given to every patient.

The American Heart Association would have more consumers go-

ing to the doctor to check out their heart because some consumers

would do it for the sole purpose of getting the voucher.

Additionally, it will create good PR for the NHL which is important

because some consumers see it as a violent game filled with

brutality.

qromotions & qR

Non-profit Outreach

28

NHL players have always been great with the media and are

always more than willing to do an interview.

The NHL will need to increase its players‟ appearances on third-

party syndicates to increase exposure and brand awareness

toward its players.

This will include being featured in appropriate magazines such

as Sports Illustrated and The Sporting News. Being in appropri-

ate television programming such as Pardon the Interruption and

First Take on ESPN.

It would especially be beneficial to get NHL players on syndi-

cates with a more generalized audience such as Good Morning

America, 60 Minutes, etc. This would go a long way in attracting

new fans and growing brand awareness of NHL players.

Any time something noteworthy in the league occurs, a press

release will be sent out which would include a list of players

available for an interview.

qromotions & qR

Player Interwiexs

Mike Green of the Washington Capitals being inter-

viewed after the 2011 Winter Classic

29

Willie O‟Ree Day

Willie O‟Ree was the first African American or Canadian to

break the NHL‟s color barrier on January 18, 1958, so every

January 18 should be Willie O‟Ree Day.

There is already Jackie Robinson Day for baseball (April 15) so

sports fans would draw parallels between the two sports.

Willie O‟Ree Day would featured a special set of games in

which the teams would wear retro uniforms similar to the one‟s

used in 1958.

The Day would also be used to educate fans about Willie

O‟Ree, civil rights and the game of hockey at participating are-

nas and on Versus, the NHL‟s cable television affiliate.

This initiative is designed to increase brand awareness , draw in

other sports fans and promote diversity in the game of hockey.

qromotions & qR

Event Planning

30

Pregame Tailgating

Similar to football games, the NHL should allow tailgating before

all of its games.

This would be a great way to draw in southeastern fans who are

accustomed to tailgating before college football games. The

weather in this region would also make it a desirable event be-

fore games.

Tents could be set up outside arenas hosting pregame parties

before every game. For northern teams something similar could

be done inside or with heated tents.

This would be similar to the “Party in the Plaza” (depicted to the

left) the Buffalo Sabres host before and during home playoff

games except these tailgating events would be done for every

regular season game.

Even if fans don‟t have tickets, they would still be urged to come

and participate in the events.

The idea behind this initiative is to increase attendance, make

every game seem like a big event and increase fan involvement

in NHL events.

qromotions & qR

Event Planning

Buffalo Sabres fans enjoying a playoff game outside of

the HSBC Arena

31

Viewing of Away Games at Arena

Another great thing the Sabres do during the playoffs is host

fans at the arena to view away games.

A similar tactic can be employed for all regular season away

games for all teams.

Fans would be invited to watch away games at their home are-

na for free or at a very low price (no more than $5).

To lure in fans, promotional items such as team hats, thunder

sticks, etc. could be given away.

This would increase viewership of televised games, attract dif-

ferent demographics to the arena who couldn‟t afford a regular

game ticket and would also make every game seem like a big

event.

It‟s understood that arenas host other functions so these view-

ings would be contingent upon planning around other events.

qromotions & qR

Event Planning

The United Center. Home of the Chicago Blackhawks

32

Tweetups

On occasions that the home team arena is unavailable fans

would still be encouraged to get together and watch away

games.

Specific plans would be made at local venues. Fans could go to

the these venues and enjoy the game together.

The invitations would be sent out through the NHLtweetup Twit-

ter account.

NHLtweetup is currently unaffiliated with the NHL so the account

can be acquired or the account holder can work in conjunction

with the NHL.

A tweetup is when a group of people from Twitter meet up at a

specified location in the real world.

Web Strategy

Social Media Engagement

Foursquare

Foursquare would be used with all NHL live events (attending

live games, tailgates, tweetups, etc.)

Fans would be able to check-in to these events via the location-

based service Foursquare.

Not only will fans be able to see what friends are attending the

events, they can also be eligible to win NHL related prizes by

accumulating NHL-related check-ins

33

In Game Tweet Contests

The NHL has done a great job engaging its fans during special

events such as the Winter Classic. The NHL can take it a step

further and use the same tactics on a day-to-day basis to get

the NHL constantly trending on Twitter.

One way to accomplish this it to have each individual team post

questions throughout the game and have fans respond with an

appropriate hashtag for a chance to win prizes.

Here is an example of a tweet that the Buffalo Sabres may use

during a telecast– SabresDotCom: Q1 who was the first player

in the game to score reply @SabresDotCom (ans.) #nhl

This tactic will increase the NHL‟s exposure and get fans active-

ly involved in each and every game.

Web Strategy

Social Media Engagement

34

“Tough Love” Promotions

Coinciding with the “Tough Love” commercials will be a contest

in which participants show how they have endured through

Tough Love in their life.

Each piece of consumer-generated media (CGM) would be

posted to a microsite linked to nhl.com. There visitors of the mi-

crosite can view the videos and vote and leave comments.

Each participant would receive a voucher for discounted tickets

to select games that can be redeemed through an online pur-

chase.

The top ten videos will qualify for free NHL merchandise and the

participant with the highest volume of votes will receive 2 tickets

to each game of the Stanley Cup Finals.

Web Strategy

Online Promotions

“Tough Love” Promotional Video

At the beginning of the season a promotional video will be re-

leased tailored to each NHL franchise.

The video will draw parallels between components of love and

hockey. The video will feature a word or phrase describing love

and then cut to a moment in hockey that exemplifies that.

At the end of the video there will be a shift in tone and the video

will say, “but most of all love is tough.” Then a big hit will be fea-

tured and the tagline and heart logo will appear.

The videos will be available on NHL.com and on YouTube and

Vimeo.

35

NHL on YouTube

There have been reports circulating that the NHL and YouTube

may be working on a deal to bring live NHL games to the video

website.

Currently, live cricket and European soccer games are watched

on YouTube.

The NHL should make a deal with YouTube to have some of its

games broadcast live on the website

This would help the NHL work around its subpar TV contract

and increase its viewership.

The NHL would be seen as an innovator because it would be

the first North America sports alliance to broadcast games on

YouTube.

This would also increase fan engagement as they would be able

to comment on the game as they watched it.

Web Strategy

Live Online Broadcasts

36

Campaign Schedule

Jan Feb Mar April May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec

Tailgating

Away Game View-

ing/ Tweetups

Giving of Hockey

Equipment

Hockey is For Every-

one

Expansion

Hockey Clinics

Tweet Contest

Show Some Tough

Love

Willie O’Ree Day

Online Promotional

Video Launch

Player Interviews

Traditional Advertis-

ing

37

Media Budget

Syndication Cost per Ad Number of Ads Subtotal

Sports Illustrated $370,500 9 $3,334,500

GQ $141,793 9 $1,276,137

Men’s Health $186,455 9 $1,678,095

The Sporting News $47,332 9 $425,988

Spike TV $42,400 100 $4,240,000

CMT $28,575 150 $4,286,250

FX $47,458 100 $4.475,800

Comedy Central $38,723 125 $4,840,380

Billboards $4200 750 $3,150,000

Total Media Expenses $27,707,150

Additionally, the NHL has advertising provided by its TV partners

(Versus and NBC)

This specific campaign only includes spending allotted for American

media but can easily be expanded into Canada.

38

Marketing Budget

Q1 (Jan-March) Q2 (April – June) Q3 (July – Sept) Q4 (Oct – Dec)

Tough Love TV Ads (cost of spots) $4.4 million $4.4 million $4.4 million $4.4million

Tough Love TV Ads (production costs) $600,000 $600,000 $600,000 $600,000

Hockey is For Everyone Expansion $2 million $2 million $2 million $2 million

Promotional Items $1 million $1 million $1 million $1 million

Ticket Vouchers $100,000 $100,000 $0 $100,000

Hockey Clinics $0 $500,000 $1 million $0

Print Ads (placement costs) $ 1.75 million $1.75million $1.75 million $1.75 million

Print Ads (production costs) $100,000 $100,000 $100,000 $100,000

Billboards (placement costs) $800,000 $800,000 $800,000 $800,000

Billboards (production costs) $200,000 $200,000 #200,000 $200,000

Sub Totals $10.45million $11.05million $11.35 million $10.45 million

Total Marketing Expense $43.2 million

$100 million revenue- $43.2 million marketing investment/$43.2 mar-

keting investments= 1.31:1 ROI

39

For the 2011-2012 season increase ticket sales by 10%

Each arena tracks ticket sales for each game and then the totals

of each arena are added together to calculate league wide at-

tendance.

Increase diversity in Youth Hockey by 10% over the

next year

A random sampling of youth hockey participants can be con-

ducted. If a parent completes the questionnaire for his/her child

they can receive some type of hockey related incentive.

For the 2011-2012 season, Increase league wide reve-

nue by $100 million

Each year the league does a financial analysis following the

conclusion of its season. Each teams revenue is tracked and

then an aggregate number is summed up.

Increase viewership on the television medium by 15%

for the 2011-2012 season

Ratings are tracked for individual games and additionally average

ratings are calculated through Nielsen for both Versus and NBC.

Increase consumer engagement in the brand by 10%

over the next year

This can be tracked in a number of ways. In the social space

imprints (comments, tweets) can be collected. Additionally, ticket

sales, tv ratings and redeemed vouchers can be collected to

measure engagement.

Evaluation

40

Hockey is more than just a hobby or a leisurely activity. It is our

passion. It is our love. So Reveries Media is asking you to walk with

us hand-in-hand and let love in.

Although this campaign is sure to satisfy every financial and mar-

keting objective, it is designed to do much more than that. More im-

portantly, we will have an opportunity to grow the game we love and

see it go to places we never thought possible.

As illustrated by this campaign, love is tough so we hope that you

have the commitment and the fortitude to pursue it because after

all of the struggles , all of the ups and downs, you will see the frui-

tion of your dreams.

You just have to be willing to fight for what you love. But you don‟t

have to endure this battle alone. Reveries Media is ready to walk

through the fire right alongside you. So let‟s scrap our way to the

top and make the NHL even better than it already is through an ef-

fective marketing campaign.

The “Tough Love” campaign will harness Social Media and the

NHL‟s unique brand while leveraging untapped American markets

and young and emerging American players to produce an optimal

return.

Conclusion

41

If the problems of struggling NHL franchises continue to persist, the

league should look into relocating these teams to more lucrative

European markets.

Key Issues: Time change, distance, support from fans, high ticket

prices/revenue issues, effects on current market, oversized league

NHL in Europe Statistics

The NHL is very popular in Finland, Sweden and the Czech Re-

public. The league‟s web site gets more traffic from those coun-

tries than almost anywhere else outside North America.

Thirty-percent of the NHL‟s players come from outside North

America

Over the course of the last few seasons the NHL has opened up

regular season games in Europe and has been very successful

Appendix A

European Exqansion

U.S. Six Out

Atlanta

Florida

Nashville

Phoenix

Tampa Bay

Columbus

* Each are in the bottom six in

league attendance

Euro Six In

Moscow (10,126,424)

Prague (1,249,026)

Helsinki (1,313,574)

Stockholm (2,019,182)

Zurich (365,098)

Berlin (3,396,990)

* Population in parenthesis

42

Revenue

The revenue produced by the European clubs would by far sur-

pass any revenue generated by any current struggling fran-

chises.

Sponsorships, ticket/suite sales, TV money and merchandise

would all draw in a lot of revenue.

Each European team would not only be placed in a large lucra-

tive market, but would also be placed in its own country. This

would create a demand for the product and maximize profit.

The TV contracts would also be very valuable, because each

team would have a national contract. This would be huge for the

NHL, because only five-percent of its revenue comes from tele-

vision contracts.

Ticket Prices

Ticket pricing might be the biggest obstacle in this process. Eu-

ropean sporting events are far cheaper than what consumers

are accustomed to in North America.

The easiest way to tackle this problem is to implement a variable

ticket pricing strategy similar to what the NHL has in place now.

For instance, when teams come from North America, the tickets

would be more expensive because there would be a higher de-

mand to see these teams.

In general, tickets would be in high demand because, as previ-

ously stated, each country would only have one NHL team. With

a higher demand, a higher ticket price can be expected.

Appendix A

European Exqansion

43

Time Change/ Distance

European teams would have their own division. European road

trips would be organized much like east coast/west

coast swings.

For instance, it is a six hour flight from New York to Los Angeles and an eight hour flight from New York to Helsinki.

Each European team would play each other about ten times. Each European team would twice a year go on a six-game North American road trip. The top two European teams would qualify for the postseason.

The television schedule could also be worked out. Prime time games in Europe could air as weekend afternoon games in North America.

Fan Support

Ticket sales have been very strong for the current NHL games in

Europe. Once European fans have their own team, it would be

expected that they would show even more support for hockey.

Affect on Current Market

The NHL would be seen as an innovative ground-breaker, as it would be the first major North American sports league to expand across the Atlantic.

The league would also see an increase in revenue, because the struggling markets would be replaced with more lucrative ones.

Appendix A

European Exqansion

44

Appendix b

Franchise Values

Rank Team Current Value

($mil) 1-Yr Value Change

(%) Debt/Value

(%) Revenue

($mil) Operating Income

($mil)

1 Toronto Maple Leafs 505 8 27 187 82.5

2 New York Rangers 461 11 0 154 41.4

3 Montreal Canadiens 408 20 70 163 53.1

4 Detroit Red Wings 315 -6 0 119 15.3

5 Boston Bruins 302 11 40 110 2.6

6 Philadelphia Flyers 301 10 22 121 13.3

7 Chicago Blackhawks 300 16 0 120 17.6

8 Vancouver Canucks 262 10 42 119 17.6

9 Pittsburgh Penguins 235 6 42 91 -1.6

10 Dallas Stars 227 -8 88 95 6.4

11 New Jersey Devils 218 -2 115 104 6.9

12 Los Angeles Kings 215 3 76 98 0.7

13 Calgary Flames 206 3 15 98 4.6

14 Minnesota Wild 202 -4 56 92 -2.3

15 Colorado Avalanche 198 -4 15 82 2.3

45

Appendix b

Franchise Values

Rank Team Current Value

($mil) 1-Yr Value Change

(%) Debt/Value (%) Revenue ($mil) Operating Income

($mil)

16 Washington Capitals 197 7 40 82 -9.1

17 Ottawa Senators 196 -1 66 96 -3.8

18 San Jose Sharks 194 6 23 88 -6.2

19 Anaheim Ducks 188 -9 19 85 -5.2

20 Edmonton Oilers 183 10 55 87 8.2

21 Buffalo Sabres 169 0 30 81 -7.9

22 Florida Panthers 168 6 57 76 -9.6

23 St Louis Blues 165 -6 73 79 -6.2

24 Carolina Hurricanes 162 -9 80 75 -7.3

25 Columbus Blue Jackets 153 -7 29 76 -7.3

26 New York Islanders 151 1 66 63 -4.5

27 Nashville Predators 148 -5 55 74 -5.5

28 Tampa Bay Lightning 145 -24 31 76 -7.9

29 Atlanta Thrashers 135 -5 48 71 -8.0

30 Phoenix Coyotes 134 -3 26 67 -20.1

46

Appendix c

Cost of Attendance

League

Average Ticket

Price

Percent

Change

Average

Price of Beer Ounces

Average

Price of So-

da Ounces Hot Dog Parking Program Cap FCI

NFL $54.75 4.9 $5.37 18 $3.23 20 $3.52 $15.34 $4.59 $15.67 $321.62

MLB $19.82 3.9 $5.17 17 $2.66 17 $3.05 $10.28 $3.98 $12.55 $155.52

NBA $44.68 1.6 $5.10 16 $2.78 17 $3.13 $10.99 $4.63 $14.28 $261.26

NHL $43.57 1.6 $5.05 16 $2.75 17 $3.01 $10.19 $4.18 $13.84 $253.65

* FCI (fan cost index) is the average cost for a family of four to attend a game.

It includes: the price of 2 adult tickets, 2 children‟s tickets, 4 hot dogs, 4 sodas,

2 beers, parking, a program and 2 hats.

47

Appendix d

NHL Fan Map

48

Appendix e

Surwey

49

Appendix e

Surwey

50

Appendix e

Surwey

51

Appendix e

Surwey

52

Appendix e

Surwey

53

Appendix e

Surwey

54

Appendix F

Storz Boards

The commercial begins as a typical foot-

ball telecast. The quarterback drops back

and throws a pass. All the typical sounds

of a football game are heard (crowd

cheering, players grunting, equipment

clanging).

After the quarterback throws the ball, the

scene cuts to a wide receiver attempting

to catch a ball in the middle of the field.

Just as the ball reaches the receiver‟s

fingertips , a hockey player seemingly

comes from nowhere and body checks

the receiver. A large thud and grunt is

heard.

The commercial cuts to the heart logo.

You see and hear the heart beat.

The commercial concludes with a

camera card displaying the NHL logo

and the tagline.

55

Appendix F

Storz Boards

The commercial is set in a typical junior

high school. It begins with four boys talk-

ing at their lockers. One of the boys real-

ly wants to ask out a girl he likes. His

friend says, “Come on! You have liked

her forever. Just ask her out. You have

nothing to lose.”

Finally, the boy is convinced. He ap-

proaches the girl he likes and asks her if

she want to see a movie. She politely

declines and says, “Sorry. I am already

going out with Chad.”

The girl is seen walking away and hold-

ing hands with Chad who is portrayed as

a “real douchebag.”

Suddenly, a hockey player appears out

of nowhere and checks Chad to the

ground.

The camera cuts back to the rejected

boy. Slowly, his frown turns to a little

smirk.

The commercial cuts to the heart logo.

You see and hear the heart beat. Then

a camera card appears with the tagline

- “Hockey. Tough Love.” and the NHL

logo.