The Arizona Coyotes will take the ice this week to begin a new chapter, starting the season with a new president, a new head coach, several new players – and a fresh advertising campaign aimed at reaching nontraditional hockey fans around the state.
The campaign will use TV spots, billboards, ads and other executions to convey that everyone has a hockey fan inside of them. Never been to a Coyotes game? No problem, welcome to the Pack. Especially important to the new campaign are millennials looking for things to experience and moms searching for entertainment for the whole family.
“Hockey has a niche feeling to it but we’re really trying to expand the audience and introduce everyone in Arizona to the hockey experience,” said Coyotes President and CEO Steve Patterson. “Everyone has a hockey fan inside of them. We’re just helping them let it out.”
The new campaign, which launches Monday, is created with advertising agency OH Partners. The idea started with wanting to build a special community for hockey fans. Think “Pleasantville” or “The Truman Show,” a place where things are done differently. It’s a place in the desert where kids can use their outside voice inside, or where you can check a neighbor against the boards for not returning your borrowed yard tools.
“We wanted to create a place where eccentricity, nonconformity and a sense of belonging run rampant,” said Ken Phox, creative director at OH Partners for the Coyotes campaign. “In years past, hockey players often were the face of the campaign. This year, we wanted to feature the fans and show how hockey bleeds into your everyday life and holds the power to unleash something inside of you. In this rink, next to that ice, you’ll feel right at home.”
The Coyotes opened the season on the road (Thursday, Oct. 5) against the Anaheim Ducks and returned for their home opener versus the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday, Oct. 7 at Gila River Arena. The Coyotes, who will be playing their 22nd season in the Valley, will be led this year by Head Coach Rick Tocchet, along with defensemen Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Niklas Hjalmarsson and Jason Demers and forwards Derek Stepan and Max Domi.
