Title sponsor Kraft partners with the National Hockey League Players Association (NHLPA) and CBC in this award winning community based programme which has become a staple in the Canadian community calendar.
The concept offer communities throughout the country a unique skill-based game which offers winners the chance to attracting the world’s best players to local hometown rinks which are renamed ‘Hockeyville – the place where hockey lives in Canada’.
The sponsorship taps into a patriotic passion, generates heavyweight positive PR on a national and a local level and has ensured that Kraft has become synonymous with the national Canadian pastime at a local level. It has enhanced the brand’s grassroots image, boosted loyalty, showcased community responsibility and driven sales.
Entry is simple, communities just have to submit a 500-word essay (and photos) outlining the unique benefits and flavour of their community. Millions visit the Kraft Hockeyville website where they vote for one of the thousands of communities that enter the competition each year – each vying for an amazing prize which includes a National Hockey League Pre-Season game, $100,000 to update the local rink and a CBC Hockey Night broadcast special (the runners up get $25,000 to upgrades their local arenas).
Comment:
Community based events need to focus on participation and providing a meaningful, memorable experiences. Few initiatives have had more success at this than Kraft’s Hockeyville programme. Overall it provides a hugely successful platform for brand-consumer engagement right across the country.
Links:
http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/hockeyville/home/en/index.shtml
http://www.facebook.com/krafthockeyville
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxpSV9V-tQQ
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