Taking the Fight Outside

On the 9th February, the NHL officially announced one of the worst kept secrets this season. The 2013 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic will be fought out between the Detroit Red Wings and the Toronto Maple Leafs, and will be one for the record books, as it is held in Michigan Stadium.

The Winter Classic has quickly become the centrepiece event in the NHL regular season, ever since Buffalo and Pittsburgh stepped out into Ralph Wilson Stadium on New Years Day 2008. The continual success of this event year on year, has cemented this in as an annual event.

The concept of an outdoor hockey is not by any means a new one. As most of the marketing surrounding the build up to the game suggests, it finds its foundation from the outdoor pond hockey games that a large percentage of players and fans grew up with. So the nostalgia factor will never be something that marketers of the event will let up with.

 

The NHL and host cities of the event have a tremendous amount to gain from the Winter Classic. It has been of great benefit financially, and with league commissioner Gary Bettman announcing that this year’s event having 115,000 tickets available, the trend will undoubtedly continue.

Personally, I find that Detroit is an extremely interesting choice for this event, not just because it has access to the largest stadium in North America fit for this event, or the strong NHL links to the city. I look at it as being a great public relations and corporate responsibility event for the NHL. With the recent economic issues that have hit the USA, Detroit has been one of the hardest hit places, and is fighting hard to get out of that situation. An event like this can bring hope, and the NHL has a lot to gain by being the league that brings it. Red Wings owner Mike Ilitch said that the “community deserves an event like this”, not just because of the hockey fans in the city, but because it brings opportunities and financial resources to a city that hasn’t had many breaks recently.

The growing popularity of the Winter Classic has now seen a larger amount of these events show up across North America, with AHL, Minor Leagues and the NCAA getting in on the action. Recent reports such as the one brought out by ballparkdigest.com, show that even the localised independent “winter classic” events being held are benefiting host communities. The 2012 Frozen Fenway event reported financial benefits of $28.8 million to the city of Boston, and is backed up by Boston Major Thomas M. Menino stating; “The Sun Life Frozen Fenway games and events helped provide our Boston economy with a good start in 2012”. However, like any other event, caution does have to be taken and the market has to be a good fit for this to work. The “Snow Days at Progressive Field” in Cleveland, Ohio has reported losses since its inception, and there are doubts to whether the event will continue to run next year.

Ironically, the lack of snow in the Cleveland area this winter helped keep fans away from the ballpark, although over 26,000 paid to see a Ohio State hockey game. Then again, Snow Days was run differently than the way the Red Sox ran Frozen Fenway: The Indians relied on things like a skating oval and a ski jump, while the Red Sox stressed sporting events, as did the Philadelphia Phillies while hosting the NHL Winter Classic at Citizens Bank Park. – from ballparkdigest.com

Looking ahead to the 2013 Winter Classic, I will be keen to see the marketing principles used in and around this event. For the first time it is split over two separate locations, with the main game being at the Big House and the rest of the activities being packaged as the “Hockeytown Winter Festival” with games being held at Comerica Park. I will also be keen to see what the main advertising spots will use in a game that already has hype from previous games, a record breaking attendance, two original six teams, a lot of history, and a USA vs Canada aspect.