September 21, 2005 (New York) - More Entertainment! More Passion! More Hockey!
The 2005-2006 National Hockey League (NHL) regular season is set to
begin on October 5, and the NHL, its players and corporate partners are
ready to provide fans with a brand of hockey unlike any other. For the
past year, the NHL has worked around-the-clock with its partners and
communication specialists to prepare for what will be the biggest, best
and most exciting hockey season in years. On Wednesday, September
21, at The Museum of Television & Radio, League partners will
celebrate the start of the 2005-2006 regular season and preview its new
advertising creative. |
| An image from the "My NHL" ad campaign. |
The
Wednesday night premiere will highlight the new and improved NHL with
unprecedented support from players and business partners. Vincent
Lecavalier, Brad Richards and Martin St. Louis of the defending Stanley
Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning will be on hand. They will be
joined by executives from the NHL & NHLPA; the NHL's marketing
agency, Conductor, and new NHL partners NBC, OLN, XM Satellite Radio
and Reebok. All will be available to discuss the upcoming season,
rules changes, broadcast enhancements, the new NHL advertising campaign
and partner activity."When the season begins on October 5th, we
will celebrate the return of hockey, and honor the values, tradition
and emotion of the game we all love," said Gary Bettman, NHL
Commissioner. "To salute those virtues, we have teamed with
Conductor to create a marketing message that captures hockey's
intensity, drama and power."
The new advertising creative is
intended to connect fans and players through an emotionally-charged
campaign unlike any other in professional sports. Directed by
acclaimed video director Sam Bayer -- recent MTV Video Music Awards
winner for his direction in Green Day's "Boulevard of Broken Dreams"
video -- the campaign depicts the hockey experience in a story told
through the course of five vignettes. The first vignette is
strategically designed as an attention-grabbing "teaser" and will be
unveiled at the event. The broadcast campaign will debut across
North America the week of September 26, 2005.
"The powerful
creative and high production value of the 'My NHL' campaign is what
sets it apart from any other sports marketing," said NHL Enterprises
President Ed Horne. "Both our clubs and our business partners
have embraced the unique opportunity that this five-part story
offers. The total reach, scope and impact of 'My NHL' will be far
greater than any previous NHL effort."
The NHL's branding and
creative efforts have been focused on providing hockey fans with the
sense that their passion and loyalty to the game is the life force that
sustains hockey. As such, the campaign depicts hockey players as
"Warriors" preparing to do battle on the ice in order to receive the
adulation of their passionate fans.
The unveiling of the new
creative campaign is one of many activities fans can expect to see from
the NHL. The initiative will include media relations activities,
special events, unspecified non-traditional initiatives, and
advertising. Additionally, fans can log on to www.nhl.com and
explore the features of the revamped web site. Individual teams
nationwide and in Canada also are coordinating marketing activities to
further engage their fan bases.
