NHL+Advertising

= **NHL Arena Advertising** =



= = **Overview** =

When watching an NHL game one of the things that stand out most, especially if you get there early and the players aren’t on the ice yet, is the abundance of advertisements along the inside walls of the rink. These board advertisements have been around for years now but as in the evolving world of advertising NHL executives and advertisers have worked together to also utilize other potential advertising spaces in new and creative ways.

One new way advertisements are being used in rinks is the classic style of ads on the inside of the boards however the Columbus Blue Jackets in the past year have installed a dasher board into their wall. The dasher board rotates different advertisements as well as interactive content for fans making it something the fans are continually looking at making it an advantage for businesses to have their ads on the dasher board instead of another spot on the wall. ("Nhl’s blue jackets," 2010) **NHL Arena Advertising**

= = **Overview** =

When watching an NHL game one of the things that stand out most, especially if you get there early and the players aren’t on the ice yet, is the abundance of advertisements along the inside walls of the rink. These board advertisements have been around for years now but as in the evolving world of advertising NHL executives and advertisers have worked together to also utilize other potential advertising spaces in new and creative ways.

One new way advertisements are being used in rinks is the classic style of ads on the inside of the boards however the Columbus Blue Jackets in the past year have installed a dasher board into their wall. The dasher board rotates different advertisements as well as interactive content for fans making it something the fans are continually looking at making it an advantage for businesses to have their ads on the dasher board instead of another spot on the wall. ("Nhl’s blue jackets," 2010)





A similar advertising utility to the dasher board is the jumbotron hanging above every rink. The jumbotron is more than just an ordinary score board, it features both a video screen which shows replays during games and also advertisements during intermissions. It also has scrolling advertisements similar to a dasher board but on a much larger and noticeable stage. ("Jumbotron video scoreboard," )



One new form of NHL advertising that began this year is virtual advertising on the glass behind the nets on each end of the rink. These ads can change at any time and are only seen by people watching on television much like the yellow first down marker used in televised football games. As of right now these ads are only visible to those watching on television to avoid complaints of fans attending games about not being able to see through the glass. (Van der Vossen, 2010)



In many rinks such as the old Mellon Arena where the Pittsburgh Penguins played are specials in house giveaways and prizes. Every fan that attends the Penguins home games receives an Ice Time program which includes both advertisements and coupons for local businesses such as Dick Sporting Goods. “Distributed FREE to an average of 15,800 fans at all Penguins home games, IceTime is the official game day magazine of the Pittsburgh Penguins. The front cover and over 30 pages of content change with every game making a keepsake out of the playbill-sized book”. ("Publications," ) Also during intermissions at Mellon Arena a mini blimp sponsored by Verizon Wireless flies around through the air and drops coupons to fans. ("In game promotions," ) The Penguins also have a deal with Supercuts where if the Penguins score on the power play if you then bring your ticket from that game to Supercuts you receive a free haircut. ( Rorabaugh, 2008)



= **Reasons to use NHL advertising** =

NHL rinks are great spots for advertising for both the diverse advertising that can be utilized as well the diverse fan base attending the games. Sponsors have choices of advertisements ranging from the classic and simple ad on the inside wall of the rink or a more interactive ad with fans such as the Verizon Wireless coupon blimp in Mellon Arena. Hockey fans are also are a proven diverse crowd according to the Pittsburgh Penguins website, “one-third of women 35 and older are avid hockey fans while 45% of men 35 and over have watched a Penguins game on television or listened on the radio in the last year. Compare that with over 30% of game attendees being under the age of 35 and you can easily capture a dynamic audience.” ("Who are our," )



= **Limitations** =

Although NHL rinks have all these new and diverse emerging media advertisements to utilize that also creates the same problem many other advertisers face and that is clutter. With so many advertisements being exposed to an audience at once it is difficult for these audiences to retain and remember the ads they just saw one minute ago.

= **Cost** =

“Sponsorships for the same elements between NHL organizations will vary from market to market. A dasherboard partnership with the Minnesota Wild means the corporate partner is spending a minimum of 300k per year. However, a dasherboard partnership in Tampa Bay or Phoenix will not go nearly as high as that. On the flip side, a dasherboard partnership with the Toronto Maple Leafs or the New York Rangers will more than likely be much more than 300k per year. Teams are going to maximize their dollars as much as their market will allow. To make it even more tricky, for this investment amount, you receive much more than just the dasherboard signage. The signage is just the biggest element in the package. Scoreboard advertising will run anywhere from 50k to 100k with the Wild.” (Bellows, B) = **Reach/Frequency** =

For the most part the reach of these forms of advertising are mainly limited to people attending the games however some of the board advertisements are still visible to those watching on television as well as the virtual ads on the glass behind the goals are visible only to those watching on television. Also available to audiences watching on television are the commercials. As far as frequency goes each NHL team is guaranteed to play 82 regular season games a year with 41 of those being home games. Also sixteen of the thirty teams qualify for the playoffs each year creating more games to advertise at with more people watching because of the importance of the playoffs. = **Scheduling Strategies** =

The NHL regular season ranges from early October until mid April, the playoffs then pick up and usually end in early June. Since the season is mainly during the colder winter months it does not make much sense for summer products such as lawn mowers to use NHL advertising. However, the season is ideal for winter activity advertising such as ski resorts. = Impact =

These emerging alternate forms of advertising are looked at as an attractive new way to reach target audiences through different ways. The dasher board on the side of the wall draws people’s attention better than the rest of the old fashioned advertisements on the rest of the wall because it changes and also flashes interactive messages to fans therefore continuously drawing the attention of fans watching to see what it will say next. Also the new virtual ads on the glass behind the nets draws people’s attention because it is something new and therefore draws even the oldest hockey fans attention even though they are desensitized to the rest of the ads they are used to seeing on the boards for years. = Target Audience =

When looking at the target audience that NHL sponsors are going after these statistics are provided by the Pittsburgh Penguins, “The 25-34 year-old age range is 57% more likely than the market average to have attended a game in the past year. When assessing disposable income, 1 in 4 attendees have a household income of at least $100,000. Similarly, avid fans who watch Penguins games on television or listen on the radio are 65% more likely to have a household income of $150,000 or more. Eighty-six percent of Penguins game attendees own a home computer. Likewise, an impressive 62% own either a DVR, HDTV, MP3 player, or subscribe to satellite radio. Seventy-two percent of game attendees have made online purchases in the past year. Over 40% of game attendees spent at least $500 online in the past 12 months.” ("Who are our," ) This data shows that hockey fans are middle to upper class and also tech-savvy making them an ideal market to target for more expensive things such as electronics.



=** Responsiveness **=

Street & Smith’s Business Journal recently conducted a survey involving just how loyal people are to the sponsors of their favorite sports. They found that even though all fans do have a degree of loyalty towards their teams’ sponsors, that degree is also influenced by the demographics of the fans. “Fifty percent to sixty percent of non-Caucasian fans across the team sports were likely to try a sponsor’s products or services, compared with thirty percent to forty percent of Caucasian fans. Similarly, half of NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL households that have at least one child are likely to use a sponsor’s products or service, compared with 30 percent to 40 percent for households with no children. In fact, two-thirds of the fans who fit into all three of those demographic subsets — age 18-34, non-white fans, and living in a household with children — are likely to use a league’s official sponsor or product, compared with 43 percent of the fans who are age 35 and older, white and have no children.” (Broughton, 2010) =**Other interesting emerging advertising**=



Every year EA Sports does an annual NHL game, every year their goal is to make the game more realistic than the year before. Beginning in NHL 09 EA Sports began selling advertising spaces on the inside of the rink wall just like in real life. Gamers noticed this immediately discussing their feelings on the new feature ranging from, “I like the addition of the new Ads on the boards. It works, I feel, because it makes the game feel fresh.” Others have negative opinions on the addition to the game saying, “this makes me feel like a corporate sheep” suggesting that EA Sports sold out to increase sponsorships. ("Anyone else notice," 2008)

Another new form of advertising that was just permitted by the NHL is allowing teams to sell advertising space on their practice jerseys. This was a heated debate because much of the opposition is concerned that this is a step away from allowing sponsorships on game jerseys and NHL jerseys will end up looking like professional soccer jerseys covered in cluttered advertisements. Much of the opposition’s argument against the change in jersey sponsorship regulations is that they are worried it will damage the traditional nature of the sport that holds the oldest trophy in all of sports, the Stanley Cup, as well as some of the oldest teams in sports history. As of right now the only two teams participating in the sponsorship of practice jerseys are the Chicago Blackhawks and the Calgary Flames. (Wyshynski, 2010) The NHL has done an exceptional job in expanding its digital advertising. They now have an aggressive online video strategy called “Hockey Marketplace”. They have expanded its video content to several other websites that also attract hockey fans such as blogging sites, and Ticketmaster. This makes NHL video even available to anyone ordering an event ticket. This is a great way to promote the NHL because online video usage is so popular. The NHL generates revenue from this digital push in two main ways. One way is that they sell full games on iTunes. It also makes money from the ads run at the beginning of the videos that companies pay to be a part of. (Callahan, 2)

=**Success**=

Some of the biggest and most successful sponsors in recent years of the NHL include Bud Light, Cisco, Dodge and Verizon Wireless. (Business Wire, 2008) =**References**=

Van der Vossen, P. (2010, Octtober 10). Csn adds virtual advertising. Retrieved from [] Nhl’s blue jackets install daktronics dasher board display at nationwide arena. (2010, January 07). Broadcast Engineering, Retrieved from [] Jumbotron video scoreboard. (n.d.). Retrieved from [] In game promotions. (n.d.). Retrieved from [] Publications. (n.d.). Retrieved from [] Rorabaugh, S. (2008). Crowing acheivement. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Retrieved from [] Who are our fans?. (n.d.). Retrieved from [] Broughton, D. (2010). Sweet spots in sponsor loyalty. Street & Smiths Sports Business Journal, Retrieved from [] Anyone else notice the new board ads? (2008, November 23). [Online Forum Comment]. Retrieved from [] Wyshynski, G. (2010, Octtober 05). Blackhawks put ads on practice jerseys; game gear next for nhl. Retrieved from [] Business Wire,. (2008, April 09). Nhl network online launches with marquee sponsors bud light, cisco, dodge and verizon wireless. Retrieved from [] Bellows,B. (2010, November 18). Email interview Callahan, S. (2010). NHL sets online goals. //B to B//, //95//(2), 9. Retrieved from Business Source Premier database.           help on how to format text About · Blog · [|Pricing] · Privacy · Terms · [|**Support**] · [|**Upgrade**] Contributions to http://emerging-advertising-media.wikispaces.com are licensed under a [|Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 3.0 License]. Portions not contributed by visitors are Copyright 2010 Tangient LLC. **NHL Arena Advertising**

= = **Overview** =

When watching an NHL game one of the things that stand out most, especially if you get there early and the players aren’t on the ice yet, is the abundance of advertisements along the inside walls of the rink. These board advertisements have been around for years now but as in the evolving world of advertising NHL executives and advertisers have worked together to also utilize other potential advertising spaces in new and creative ways.

One new way advertisements are being used in rinks is the classic style of ads on the inside of the boards however the Columbus Blue Jackets in the past year have installed a dasher board into their wall. The dasher board rotates different advertisements as well as interactive content for fans making it something the fans are continually looking at making it an advantage for businesses to have their ads on the dasher board instead of another spot on the wall. ("Nhl’s blue jackets," 2010)




 * NHL Arena Advertising**



= = **Overview** =

When watching an NHL game one of the things that stand out most, especially if you get there early and the players aren’t on the ice yet, is the abundance of advertisements along the inside walls of the rink. These board advertisements have been around for years now but as in the evolving world of advertising NHL executives and advertisers have worked together to also utilize other potential advertising spaces in new and creative ways.





A similar advertising utility to the dasher board is the jumbotron hanging above every rink. The jumbotron is more than just an ordinary score board, it features both a video screen which shows replays during games and also advertisements during intermissions. It also has scrolling advertisements similar to a dasher board but on a much larger and noticeable stage. ("Jumbotron video scoreboard," )



One new form of NHL advertising that began this year is virtual advertising on the glass behind the nets on each end of the rink. These ads can change at any time and are only seen by people watching on television much like the yellow first down marker used in televised football games. As of right now these ads are only visible to those watching on television to avoid complaints of fans attending games about not being able to see through the glass. (Van der Vossen, 2010)



In many rinks such as the old Mellon Arena where the Pittsburgh Penguins played are specials in house giveaways and prizes. Every fan that attends the Penguins home games receives an Ice Time program which includes both advertisements and coupons for local businesses such as Dick Sporting Goods. “Distributed FREE to an average of 15,800 fans at all Penguins home games, IceTime is the official game day magazine of the Pittsburgh Penguins. The front cover and over 30 pages of content change with every game making a keepsake out of the playbill-sized book”. ("Publications," ) Also during intermissions at Mellon Arena a mini blimp sponsored by Verizon Wireless flies around through the air and drops coupons to fans. ("In game promotions," ) The Penguins also have a deal with Supercuts where if the Penguins score on the power play if you then bring your ticket from that game to Supercuts you receive a free haircut. ( Rorabaugh, 2008)



= **Reasons to use NHL advertising** =

NHL rinks are great spots for advertising for both the diverse advertising that can be utilized as well the diverse fan base attending the games. Sponsors have choices of advertisements ranging from the classic and simple ad on the inside wall of the rink or a more interactive ad with fans such as the Verizon Wireless coupon blimp in Mellon Arena. Hockey fans are also are a proven diverse crowd according to the Pittsburgh Penguins website, “one-third of women 35 and older are avid hockey fans while 45% of men 35 and over have watched a Penguins game on television or listened on the radio in the last year. Compare that with over 30% of game attendees being under the age of 35 and you can easily capture a dynamic audience.” ("Who are our," )



= **Limitations** =

Although NHL rinks have all these new and diverse emerging media advertisements to utilize that also creates the same problem many other advertisers face and that is clutter. With so many advertisements being exposed to an audience at once it is difficult for these audiences to retain and remember the ads they just saw one minute ago.

= **Cost** =

“Sponsorships for the same elements between NHL organizations will vary from market to market. A dasherboard partnership with the Minnesota Wild means the corporate partner is spending a minimum of 300k per year. However, a dasherboard partnership in Tampa Bay or Phoenix will not go nearly as high as that. On the flip side, a dasherboard partnership with the Toronto Maple Leafs or the New York Rangers will more than likely be much more than 300k per year. Teams are going to maximize their dollars as much as their market will allow. To make it even more tricky, for this investment amount, you receive much more than just the dasherboard signage. The signage is just the biggest element in the package. Scoreboard advertising will run anywhere from 50k to 100k with the Wild.” (Bellows, B) = **Reach/Frequency** =

For the most part the reach of these forms of advertising are mainly limited to people attending the games however some of the board advertisements are still visible to those watching on television as well as the virtual ads on the glass behind the goals are visible only to those watching on television. Also available to audiences watching on television are the commercials. As far as frequency goes each NHL team is guaranteed to play 82 regular season games a year with 41 of those being home games. Also sixteen of the thirty teams qualify for the playoffs each year creating more games to advertise at with more people watching because of the importance of the playoffs. = **Scheduling Strategies** =

The NHL regular season ranges from early October until mid April, the playoffs then pick up and usually end in early June. Since the season is mainly during the colder winter months it does not make much sense for summer products such as lawn mowers to use NHL advertising. However, the season is ideal for winter activity advertising such as ski resorts. = Impact =

These emerging alternate forms of advertising are looked at as an attractive new way to reach target audiences through different ways. The dasher board on the side of the wall draws people’s attention better than the rest of the old fashioned advertisements on the rest of the wall because it changes and also flashes interactive messages to fans therefore continuously drawing the attention of fans watching to see what it will say next. Also the new virtual ads on the glass behind the nets draws people’s attention because it is something new and therefore draws even the oldest hockey fans attention even though they are desensitized to the rest of the ads they are used to seeing on the boards for years. = Target Audience =

When looking at the target audience that NHL sponsors are going after these statistics are provided by the Pittsburgh Penguins, “The 25-34 year-old age range is 57% more likely than the market average to have attended a game in the past year. When assessing disposable income, 1 in 4 attendees have a household income of at least $100,000. Similarly, avid fans who watch Penguins games on television or listen on the radio are 65% more likely to have a household income of $150,000 or more. Eighty-six percent of Penguins game attendees own a home computer. Likewise, an impressive 62% own either a DVR, HDTV, MP3 player, or subscribe to satellite radio. Seventy-two percent of game attendees have made online purchases in the past year. Over 40% of game attendees spent at least $500 online in the past 12 months.” ("Who are our," ) This data shows that hockey fans are middle to upper class and also tech-savvy making them an ideal market to target for more expensive things such as electronics.



=** Responsiveness **=

Street & Smith’s Business Journal recently conducted a survey involving just how loyal people are to the sponsors of their favorite sports. They found that even though all fans do have a degree of loyalty towards their teams’ sponsors, that degree is also influenced by the demographics of the fans. “Fifty percent to sixty percent of non-Caucasian fans across the team sports were likely to try a sponsor’s products or services, compared with thirty percent to forty percent of Caucasian fans. Similarly, half of NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL households that have at least one child are likely to use a sponsor’s products or service, compared with 30 percent to 40 percent for households with no children. In fact, two-thirds of the fans who fit into all three of those demographic subsets — age 18-34, non-white fans, and living in a household with children — are likely to use a league’s official sponsor or product, compared with 43 percent of the fans who are age 35 and older, white and have no children.” (Broughton, 2010) =**Other interesting emerging advertising**=



Every year EA Sports does an annual NHL game, every year their goal is to make the game more realistic than the year before. Beginning in NHL 09 EA Sports began selling advertising spaces on the inside of the rink wall just like in real life. Gamers noticed this immediately discussing their feelings on the new feature ranging from, “I like the addition of the new Ads on the boards. It works, I feel, because it makes the game feel fresh.” Others have negative opinions on the addition to the game saying, “this makes me feel like a corporate sheep” suggesting that EA Sports sold out to increase sponsorships. ("Anyone else notice," 2008)

Another new form of advertising that was just permitted by the NHL is allowing teams to sell advertising space on their practice jerseys. This was a heated debate because much of the opposition is concerned that this is a step away from allowing sponsorships on game jerseys and NHL jerseys will end up looking like professional soccer jerseys covered in cluttered advertisements. Much of the opposition’s argument against the change in jersey sponsorship regulations is that they are worried it will damage the traditional nature of the sport that holds the oldest trophy in all of sports, the Stanley Cup, as well as some of the oldest teams in sports history. As of right now the only two teams participating in the sponsorship of practice jerseys are the Chicago Blackhawks and the Calgary Flames. (Wyshynski, 2010) The NHL has done an exceptional job in expanding its digital advertising. They now have an aggressive online video strategy called “Hockey Marketplace”. They have expanded its video content to several other websites that also attract hockey fans such as blogging sites, and Ticketmaster. This makes NHL video even available to anyone ordering an event ticket. This is a great way to promote the NHL because online video usage is so popular. The NHL generates revenue from this digital push in two main ways. One way is that they sell full games on iTunes. It also makes money from the ads run at the beginning of the videos that companies pay to be a part of. (Callahan, 2)

=**Success**=

Some of the biggest and most successful sponsors in recent years of the NHL include Bud Light, Cisco, Dodge and Verizon Wireless. (Business Wire, 2008) =**References**=

Van der Vossen, P. (2010, Octtober 10). Csn adds virtual advertising. Retrieved from [] Nhl’s blue jackets install daktronics dasher board display at nationwide arena. (2010, January 07). Broadcast Engineering, Retrieved from [] Jumbotron video scoreboard. (n.d.). Retrieved from [] In game promotions. (n.d.). Retrieved from [] Publications. (n.d.). Retrieved from [] Rorabaugh, S. (2008). Crowing acheivement. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Retrieved from [] Who are our fans?. (n.d.). Retrieved from [] Broughton, D. (2010). Sweet spots in sponsor loyalty. Street & Smiths Sports Business Journal, Retrieved from [] Anyone else notice the new board ads? (2008, November 23). [Online Forum Comment]. Retrieved from [] Wyshynski, G. (2010, Octtober 05). Blackhawks put ads on practice jerseys; game gear next for nhl. Retrieved from [] Business Wire,. (2008, April 09). Nhl network online launches with marquee sponsors bud light, cisco, dodge and verizon wireless. Retrieved from [] Bellows,B. (2010, November 18). Email interview Callahan, S. (2010). NHL sets online goals. //B to B//, //95//(2), 9. Retrieved from Business Source Premier database.           help on how to format text About · Blog · [|Pricing] · Privacy · Terms · [|**Support**] · [|**Upgrade**] Contributions to http://emerging-advertising-media.wikispaces.com are licensed under a [|Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 3.0 License]. Portions not contributed by visitors are Copyright 2010 Tangient LLC.

A similar advertising utility to the dasher board is the jumbotron hanging above every rink. The jumbotron is more than just an ordinary score board, it features both a video screen which shows replays during games and also advertisements during intermissions. It also has scrolling advertisements similar to a dasher board but on a much larger and noticeable stage. ("Jumbotron video scoreboard," )



One new form of NHL advertising that began this year is virtual advertising on the glass behind the nets on each end of the rink. These ads can change at any time and are only seen by people watching on television much like the yellow first down marker used in televised football games. As of right now these ads are only visible to those watching on television to avoid complaints of fans attending games about not being able to see through the glass. (Van der Vossen, 2010)



In many rinks such as the old Mellon Arena where the Pittsburgh Penguins played are specials in house giveaways and prizes. Every fan that attends the Penguins home games receives an Ice Time program which includes both advertisements and coupons for local businesses such as Dick Sporting Goods. “Distributed FREE to an average of 15,800 fans at all Penguins home games, IceTime is the official game day magazine of the Pittsburgh Penguins. The front cover and over 30 pages of content change with every game making a keepsake out of the playbill-sized book”. ("Publications," ) Also during intermissions at Mellon Arena a mini blimp sponsored by Verizon Wireless flies around through the air and drops coupons to fans. ("In game promotions," ) The Penguins also have a deal with Supercuts where if the Penguins score on the power play if you then bring your ticket from that game to Supercuts you receive a free haircut. ( Rorabaugh, 2008)



= **Reasons to use NHL advertising** =

NHL rinks are great spots for advertising for both the diverse advertising that can be utilized as well the diverse fan base attending the games. Sponsors have choices of advertisements ranging from the classic and simple ad on the inside wall of the rink or a more interactive ad with fans such as the Verizon Wireless coupon blimp in Mellon Arena. Hockey fans are also are a proven diverse crowd according to the Pittsburgh Penguins website, “one-third of women 35 and older are avid hockey fans while 45% of men 35 and over have watched a Penguins game on television or listened on the radio in the last year. Compare that with over 30% of game attendees being under the age of 35 and you can easily capture a dynamic audience.” ("Who are our," )



= **Limitations** =

Although NHL rinks have all these new and diverse emerging media advertisements to utilize that also creates the same problem many other advertisers face and that is clutter. With so many advertisements being exposed to an audience at once it is difficult for these audiences to retain and remember the ads they just saw one minute ago.

= **Cost** =

“Sponsorships for the same elements between NHL organizations will vary from market to market. A dasherboard partnership with the Minnesota Wild means the corporate partner is spending a minimum of 300k per year. However, a dasherboard partnership in Tampa Bay or Phoenix will not go nearly as high as that. On the flip side, a dasherboard partnership with the Toronto Maple Leafs or the New York Rangers will more than likely be much more than 300k per year. Teams are going to maximize their dollars as much as their market will allow. To make it even more tricky, for this investment amount, you receive much more than just the dasherboard signage. The signage is just the biggest element in the package. Scoreboard advertising will run anywhere from 50k to 100k with the Wild.” (Bellows, B) = **Reach/Frequency** =

For the most part the reach of these forms of advertising are mainly limited to people attending the games however some of the board advertisements are still visible to those watching on television as well as the virtual ads on the glass behind the goals are visible only to those watching on television. Also available to audiences watching on television are the commercials. As far as frequency goes each NHL team is guaranteed to play 82 regular season games a year with 41 of those being home games. Also sixteen of the thirty teams qualify for the playoffs each year creating more games to advertise at with more people watching because of the importance of the playoffs. = **Scheduling Strategies** =

The NHL regular season ranges from early October until mid April, the playoffs then pick up and usually end in early June. Since the season is mainly during the colder winter months it does not make much sense for summer products such as lawn mowers to use NHL advertising. However, the season is ideal for winter activity advertising such as ski resorts. = Impact =

These emerging alternate forms of advertising are looked at as an attractive new way to reach target audiences through different ways. The dasher board on the side of the wall draws people’s attention better than the rest of the old fashioned advertisements on the rest of the wall because it changes and also flashes interactive messages to fans therefore continuously drawing the attention of fans watching to see what it will say next. Also the new virtual ads on the glass behind the nets draws people’s attention because it is something new and therefore draws even the oldest hockey fans attention even though they are desensitized to the rest of the ads they are used to seeing on the boards for years. = Target Audience =

When looking at the target audience that NHL sponsors are going after these statistics are provided by the Pittsburgh Penguins, “The 25-34 year-old age range is 57% more likely than the market average to have attended a game in the past year. When assessing disposable income, 1 in 4 attendees have a household income of at least $100,000. Similarly, avid fans who watch Penguins games on television or listen on the radio are 65% more likely to have a household income of $150,000 or more. Eighty-six percent of Penguins game attendees own a home computer. Likewise, an impressive 62% own either a DVR, HDTV, MP3 player, or subscribe to satellite radio. Seventy-two percent of game attendees have made online purchases in the past year. Over 40% of game attendees spent at least $500 online in the past 12 months.” ("Who are our," ) This data shows that hockey fans are middle to upper class and also tech-savvy making them an ideal market to target for more expensive things such as electronics.



=** Responsiveness **=

Street & Smith’s Business Journal recently conducted a survey involving just how loyal people are to the sponsors of their favorite sports. They found that even though all fans do have a degree of loyalty towards their teams’ sponsors, that degree is also influenced by the demographics of the fans. “Fifty percent to sixty percent of non-Caucasian fans across the team sports were likely to try a sponsor’s products or services, compared with thirty percent to forty percent of Caucasian fans. Similarly, half of NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL households that have at least one child are likely to use a sponsor’s products or service, compared with 30 percent to 40 percent for households with no children. In fact, two-thirds of the fans who fit into all three of those demographic subsets — age 18-34, non-white fans, and living in a household with children — are likely to use a league’s official sponsor or product, compared with 43 percent of the fans who are age 35 and older, white and have no children.” (Broughton, 2010) =**Other interesting emerging advertising**=



Every year EA Sports does an annual NHL game, every year their goal is to make the game more realistic than the year before. Beginning in NHL 09 EA Sports began selling advertising spaces on the inside of the rink wall just like in real life. Gamers noticed this immediately discussing their feelings on the new feature ranging from, “I like the addition of the new Ads on the boards. It works, I feel, because it makes the game feel fresh.” Others have negative opinions on the addition to the game saying, “this makes me feel like a corporate sheep” suggesting that EA Sports sold out to increase sponsorships. ("Anyone else notice," 2008)

Another new form of advertising that was just permitted by the NHL is allowing teams to sell advertising space on their practice jerseys. This was a heated debate because much of the opposition is concerned that this is a step away from allowing sponsorships on game jerseys and NHL jerseys will end up looking like professional soccer jerseys covered in cluttered advertisements. Much of the opposition’s argument against the change in jersey sponsorship regulations is that they are worried it will damage the traditional nature of the sport that holds the oldest trophy in all of sports, the Stanley Cup, as well as some of the oldest teams in sports history. As of right now the only two teams participating in the sponsorship of practice jerseys are the Chicago Blackhawks and the Calgary Flames. (Wyshynski, 2010) The NHL has done an exceptional job in expanding its digital advertising. They now have an aggressive online video strategy called “Hockey Marketplace”. They have expanded its video content to several other websites that also attract hockey fans such as blogging sites, and Ticketmaster. This makes NHL video even available to anyone ordering an event ticket. This is a great way to promote the NHL because online video usage is so popular. The NHL generates revenue from this digital push in two main ways. One way is that they sell full games on iTunes. It also makes money from the ads run at the beginning of the videos that companies pay to be a part of. (Callahan, 2)

=**Success**=

Some of the biggest and most successful sponsors in recent years of the NHL include Bud Light, Cisco, Dodge and Verizon Wireless. (Business Wire, 2008) =**References**=

Van der Vossen, P. (2010, Octtober 10). Csn adds virtual advertising. Retrieved from [] Nhl’s blue jackets install daktronics dasher board display at nationwide arena. (2010, January 07). Broadcast Engineering, Retrieved from [] Jumbotron video scoreboard. (n.d.). Retrieved from [] In game promotions. (n.d.). Retrieved from [] Publications. (n.d.). Retrieved from [] Rorabaugh, S. (2008). Crowing acheivement. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Retrieved from [] Who are our fans?. (n.d.). Retrieved from [] Broughton, D. (2010). Sweet spots in sponsor loyalty. Street & Smiths Sports Business Journal, Retrieved from [] Anyone else notice the new board ads? (2008, November 23). [Online Forum Comment]. Retrieved from [] Wyshynski, G. (2010, Octtober 05). Blackhawks put ads on practice jerseys; game gear next for nhl. Retrieved from [] Business Wire,. (2008, April 09). Nhl network online launches with marquee sponsors bud light, cisco, dodge and verizon wireless. Retrieved from [] Bellows,B. (2010, November 18). Email interview Callahan, S. (2010). NHL sets online goals. //B to B//, //95//(2), 9. Retrieved from Business Source Premier database.           help on how to format text About · Blog · [|Pricing] · Privacy · Terms · [|**Support**] · [|**Upgrade**] Contributions to http://emerging-advertising-media.wikispaces.com are licensed under a [|Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 3.0 License]. Portions not contributed by visitors are Copyright 2010 Tangient LLC.

A similar advertising utility to the dasher board is the jumbotron hanging above every rink. The jumbotron is more than just an ordinary score board, it features both a video screen which shows replays during games and also advertisements during intermissions. It also has scrolling advertisements similar to a dasher board but on a much larger and noticeable stage. ("Jumbotron video scoreboard," )



One new form of NHL advertising that began this year is virtual advertising on the glass behind the nets on each end of the rink. These ads can change at any time and are only seen by people watching on television much like the yellow first down marker used in televised football games. As of right now these ads are only visible to those watching on television to avoid complaints of fans attending games about not being able to see through the glass. (Van der Vossen, 2010)



In many rinks such as the old Mellon Arena where the Pittsburgh Penguins played are specials in house giveaways and prizes. Every fan that attends the Penguins home games receives an Ice Time program which includes both advertisements and coupons for local businesses such as Dick Sporting Goods. “Distributed FREE to an average of 15,800 fans at all Penguins home games, IceTime is the official game day magazine of the Pittsburgh Penguins. The front cover and over 30 pages of content change with every game making a keepsake out of the playbill-sized book”. ("Publications," ) Also during intermissions at Mellon Arena a mini blimp sponsored by Verizon Wireless flies around through the air and drops coupons to fans. ("In game promotions," ) The Penguins also have a deal with Supercuts where if the Penguins score on the power play if you then bring your ticket from that game to Supercuts you receive a free haircut. ( Rorabaugh, 2008)



= **Reasons to use NHL advertising** =

NHL rinks are great spots for advertising for both the diverse advertising that can be utilized as well the diverse fan base attending the games. Sponsors have choices of advertisements ranging from the classic and simple ad on the inside wall of the rink or a more interactive ad with fans such as the Verizon Wireless coupon blimp in Mellon Arena. Hockey fans are also are a proven diverse crowd according to the Pittsburgh Penguins website, “one-third of women 35 and older are avid hockey fans while 45% of men 35 and over have watched a Penguins game on television or listened on the radio in the last year. Compare that with over 30% of game attendees being under the age of 35 and you can easily capture a dynamic audience.” ("Who are our," )

= **Limitations** =

Although NHL rinks have all these new and diverse emerging media advertisements to utilize that also creates the same problem many other advertisers face and that is clutter. With so many advertisements being exposed to an audience at once it is difficult for these audiences to retain and remember the ads they just saw one minute ago.

= **Cost** =

“Sponsorships for the same elements between NHL organizations will vary from market to market. A dasherboard partnership with the Minnesota Wild means the corporate partner is spending a minimum of 300k per year. However, a dasherboard partnership in Tampa Bay or Phoenix will not go nearly as high as that. On the flip side, a dasherboard partnership with the Toronto Maple Leafs or the New York Rangers will more than likely be much more than 300k per year. Teams are going to maximize their dollars as much as their market will allow. To make it even more tricky, for this investment amount, you receive much more than just the dasherboard signage. The signage is just the biggest element in the package. Scoreboard advertising will run anywhere from 50k to 100k with the Wild.” (Bellows, B) = **Reach/Frequency** =

For the most part the reach of these forms of advertising are mainly limited to people attending the games however some of the board advertisements are still visible to those watching on television as well as the virtual ads on the glass behind the goals are visible only to those watching on television. Also available to audiences watching on television are the commercials. As far as frequency goes each NHL team is guaranteed to play 82 regular season games a year with 41 of those being home games. Also sixteen of the thirty teams qualify for the playoffs each year creating more games to advertise at with more people watching because of the importance of the playoffs. = **Scheduling Strategies** =

The NHL regular season ranges from early October until mid April, the playoffs then pick up and usually end in early June. Since the season is mainly during the colder winter months it does not make much sense for summer products such as lawn mowers to use NHL advertising. However, the season is ideal for winter activity advertising such as ski resorts. = Impact =

These emerging alternate forms of advertising are looked at as an attractive new way to reach target audiences through different ways. The dasher board on the side of the wall draws people’s attention better than the rest of the old fashioned advertisements on the rest of the wall because it changes and also flashes interactive messages to fans therefore continuously drawing the attention of fans watching to see what it will say next. Also the new virtual ads on the glass behind the nets draws people’s attention because it is something new and therefore draws even the oldest hockey fans attention even though they are desensitized to the rest of the ads they are used to seeing on the boards for years. = Target Audience =

When looking at the target audience that NHL sponsors are going after these statistics are provided by the Pittsburgh Penguins, “The 25-34 year-old age range is 57% more likely than the market average to have attended a game in the past year. When assessing disposable income, 1 in 4 attendees have a household income of at least $100,000. Similarly, avid fans who watch Penguins games on television or listen on the radio are 65% more likely to have a household income of $150,000 or more. Eighty-six percent of Penguins game attendees own a home computer. Likewise, an impressive 62% own either a DVR, HDTV, MP3 player, or subscribe to satellite radio. Seventy-two percent of game attendees have made online purchases in the past year. Over 40% of game attendees spent at least $500 online in the past 12 months.” ("Who are our," ) This data shows that hockey fans are middle to upper class and also tech-savvy making them an ideal market to target for more expensive things such as electronics.



=** Responsiveness **=

Street & Smith’s Business Journal recently conducted a survey involving just how loyal people are to the sponsors of their favorite sports. They found that even though all fans do have a degree of loyalty towards their teams’ sponsors, that degree is also influenced by the demographics of the fans. “Fifty percent to sixty percent of non-Caucasian fans across the team sports were likely to try a sponsor’s products or services, compared with thirty percent to forty percent of Caucasian fans. Similarly, half of NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL households that have at least one child are likely to use a sponsor’s products or service, compared with 30 percent to 40 percent for households with no children. In fact, two-thirds of the fans who fit into all three of those demographic subsets — age 18-34, non-white fans, and living in a household with children — are likely to use a league’s official sponsor or product, compared with 43 percent of the fans who are age 35 and older, white and have no children.” (Broughton, 2010) =**Other interesting emerging advertising**=



Every year EA Sports does an annual NHL game, every year their goal is to make the game more realistic than the year before. Beginning in NHL 09 EA Sports began selling advertising spaces on the inside of the rink wall just like in real life. Gamers noticed this immediately discussing their feelings on the new feature ranging from, “I like the addition of the new Ads on the boards. It works, I feel, because it makes the game feel fresh.” Others have negative opinions on the addition to the game saying, “this makes me feel like a corporate sheep” suggesting that EA Sports sold out to increase sponsorships. ("Anyone else notice," 2008)

Another new form of advertising that was just permitted by the NHL is allowing teams to sell advertising space on their practice jerseys. This was a heated debate because much of the opposition is concerned that this is a step away from allowing sponsorships on game jerseys and NHL jerseys will end up looking like professional soccer jerseys covered in cluttered advertisements. Much of the opposition’s argument against the change in jersey sponsorship regulations is that they are worried it will damage the traditional nature of the sport that holds the oldest trophy in all of sports, the Stanley Cup, as well as some of the oldest teams in sports history. As of right now the only two teams participating in the sponsorship of practice jerseys are the Chicago Blackhawks and the Calgary Flames. (Wyshynski, 2010) The NHL has done an exceptional job in expanding its digital advertising. They now have an aggressive online video strategy called “Hockey Marketplace”. They have expanded its video content to several other websites that also attract hockey fans such as blogging sites, and Ticketmaster. This makes NHL video even available to anyone ordering an event ticket. This is a great way to promote the NHL because online video usage is so popular. The NHL generates revenue from this digital push in two main ways. One way is that they sell full games on iTunes. It also makes money from the ads run at the beginning of the videos that companies pay to be a part of. (Callahan, 2) =**Success**=

Some of the biggest and most successful sponsors in recent years of the NHL include Bud Light, Cisco, Dodge and Verizon Wireless. (Business Wire, 2008) =**References**=

Van der Vossen, P. (2010, Octtober 10). Csn adds virtual advertising. Retrieved from http://capitalsoutsider.com/2010/10/09/csn-adds-virtual-advertising/ Nhl’s blue jackets install daktronics dasher board display at nationwide arena. (2010, January 07). Broadcast Engineering, Retrieved from http://broadcastengineering.com/products/nhls-blue-Jackets-install-daktronics-dasher-board-display-nationwide-arena-0107/ Jumbotron video scoreboard. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://cdn.nhl.com/penguins/bc/images/sponsors/PDF In game promotions. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://cdn.nhl.com/penguins/bc/images/sponsors/PDF/In%20Game%20Promos06.pdf Publications. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://cdn.nhl.com/penguins/bc/images/sponsors/PDF Rorabaugh, S. (2008). Crowing acheivement. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Retrieved from http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08040/856265-383.stm Who are our fans?. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://cdn.nhl.com/penguins/bc/images/sponsors/PDF/Demographics06.pdf Broughton, D. (2010). Sweet spots in sponsor loyalty. Street & Smiths Sports Business Journal, Retrieved from http://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/article/64857 Anyone else notice the new board ads? (2008, November 23). [Online Forum Comment]. Retrieved from http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/sports/nhl09/show_msgs.php?topic_id=m-1-46758605&pid=946760 Wyshynski, G. (2010, Octtober 05). Blackhawks put ads on practice jerseys; game gear next for nhl. Retrieved from http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Blackhawks-put-ads-on-practice-jerseys-game-gea?urn=nhl-274690 Business Wire,. (2008, April 09). Nhl network online launches with marquee sponsors bud light, cisco, dodge and verizon wireless. Retrieved from [] Bellows,B. (2010, November 18). Email interview Callahan, S. (2010). NHL sets online goals. //B to B//, //95//(2), 9. Retrieved from Business Source Premier database.