Canucks and Co-marketing
Before I jump into the varied and extremely effective (and affective!) components of the Canucks brand, let’s rewind a few years to the first time I watched an NHL game live: excitement was palpable in the sweat- and hot dog-scented air as fans of the opposing teams (Vancouver and Toronto, my hometown) traded insults and brandished their respective paraphernalia. Boring! I promptly took out a book, and, to the horror of my dad and brothers, proceeded to read for the entirety of the tense game.
Cristalle Lau recently wrote a blog post examining the Canucks’ branding benefits, which got me thinking about what makes the Canucks – and sports teams in general, really – such powerful cross-promotional partners. Not long after the Vancouver-Toronto match-up mentioned above, I moved to Vancouver and was bombarded with Canucks advertising – the green and blue logo tacked on shirts and cars, the “Go Canucks Go!” sign that flashes across buses, promotional posters and billboards. It’s difficult not to get caught up in the hype, especially when the team is performing so well (still number 1!).
Such promotional activities have allowed the Canucks to succeed in establishing an unbreakable community connection; this relationship with fans is additionally sustained and strengthened through contests and PR initiatives, such as the Kids Fund Telethon recently supported by the team:
Using sports teams as promotional tools is nothing new. Pubs and restaurants, for example, often offer discounts and special features on game nights. Fans associate positively – often fervently – with their favourite teams, so marketing one’s brand alongside a popular sports team can likely be very lucrative. And judging by the vast array and variety of companies that are included among the Canucks’ promotional associates (shown below), all types of companies can benefit from such partnerships.
