Sean Smith's Blog

The exhilarating sound of the edges of skates ripping through the ice, the puck perfectly placed on the edge of the stick and the sound of rejoice and celebration as your favourite team nets the winning goal. Its nice to reminisce on Canadas favourite sport and pastime,  I almost forgot what the sport was like due to long-lasting hockey lockdown. The Canadian company, Sportchek is one of the largest sports apparel companies in Canada and has a large variety of good ranging from running gear and golf clubs, to hockey equipment. The company is particularly known, however, for its large hockey based section. With the recent NHL lockdown you’d think the company would be loosing big time with respect to the hockey related goods; however, Sportchek took advantage of the free NHL ice and gave minors the opportunity to play on the big ice, with the big lights and the big stage. The company triggered the hearts of young hockey fans and despite the NHL lockdown, they initiated a widely successful event that proved the company was there for the hockey communities.

Sportchek’s new branding strategy was absolutely brilliant. They created an emotional appeal to their consumers and widely popular youtube video. They proved you don’t need a million dollars to market yourself effectively  Sportschek captivated the minors hearts and created a strong bond resulting in long-lasting, loyal consumers. Sportchek is also reaching out to the community with programs to help make hockey equipment more affordable for local families. Sportchek is doing a fantastic job maintaining loyal consumers with their branding and socially beneficial tactics; despite the rather large NHL hiccup. Looks like the puck doesn’t stop here for Sportschek!

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/marketing/how-sport-chek-skated-round-the-lockout/article4947866/#