Winter boot brand Ugg links into ice hockey fan engagement by taking its ‘relax and chill out’ marketing message into NHL arena by sponsoring penalty boxes.
This hockey activation focuses on the USA’s biggest two markets in the form of sponsoring the penalty boxes at two of the NHL biggest and best known arenas: the Staples Center (the home of the Los Angeles Kings) and Barclays Stadium (home of the New York Islanders) –
The company is branding the penalty boxes – small benches in isolated rink-side spaces surrounded by low walls and perspex accessed from the ice through a low door – at Staples Center and Barclays Stadium with logos and renaming them the ‘UGG Do Nothing Zone’.
Players are punished for foul play on the rink by being sent to these boxes for short periods – where they are forced to sit, chill and do nothing.
The deals are linked to partnerships with both local teams – the LA Kings and NY Islanders – and the campaign leverages brand research showing that a significant proportion of Ugg’s target North American audience are keen hockey fans: indexing more than twice the average population on watching the sport.
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The sponsorship was developed with agency Camp & King, which also created Ugg’s umbrella ‘Do Nothing’ campaign – which features men enjoying doing nothing.
The latest version of this campaign launched in September/October and saw the brand’s regular pitchman, NFL star Tom Brady and Hollywood leading man Jeff Bridges bask in some serious downtime.
This was led by a commercial called ‘Song’ which sees Bridges sat on a sofa beside a sleeping Brady, gently serenading him with an acoustic version of Buffalo Gals before waking him suddenly with a sudden, energetic, up-tempo change of pace.
A further spot sees New England Patriots’ players Brady and Julian Edelman relax at home.
Brady has been the lead Ugg Men athlete ambassador and marketing front man since 2011.
‘The idea of ‘Do Nothing’ started last fall when I had a rare Sunday to watch football since we opened the season on a Thursday night,’ explains Brady.
‘I relaxed on the couch wearing my favourite UGG slippers. I posted a photo on Facebook and it was history from there. As an athlete I know firsthand the importance of sometimes taking time out to do nothing – it helps me recharge and perform when I’m on the field.’
Links
Ugg Web:
http://www.ugg.com/do-nothing-zone/
Ugg Facebook:
Ugg Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/ugg/
Ugg Pinterest:
Ugg Twitter:
Ugg YouTube:
Ugg Google+:
Camp & King:
http://camp-king.com/
LA Kings:
NY Islanders:
