Reebok readies new hockey equipment campaign
By Adnews Staff
Reebok International of Canton, MA is preparing a new campaign for its Rbk line of hockey equipment to coincide with the start of the National Hockey League season. The promotional effort will include the participation of a number of NHL players who have endorsed the products, including Chris Pronger, Pavel Datsyuk, Tony Amonte, Dion Phaneuf, Andrew Raycroft, Patrice Bergeron, Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin, David Aebischer, Alex Tanguay, Sidney Crosby and Curtis Joseph. These players will wear Rbk skates and equipment during their games. Reebok will also conduct a new advertising campaign called "The Switch is On" to raise awareness of the use of its products in the NHL. The campaign was created by The Hive Strategic Marketing of Toronto. It will include television, print, online, in-arena and direct mail advertising in the 30 NHL markets. The Reebok brand is also featured in the league's own current campaign called "Warrior." In addition, the Rbk logo will be integrated into the boards at the red and blue lines in each NHL arena. According to Reebok, this is the first time the league has sold an exclusive sponsorship of these lines. "Our new Rbk Hockey campaign is unlike anything the hockey world has ever been able to accomplish before," said Len Rhodes, vice-president of marketing for the brand. "Our strategic partnership with the NHL has allowed us to secure a competitive edge in the marketplace and has allowed the brand to activate at strategic consumer touch points both on and off the ice." Earlier this year, Reebok signed a multi-year agreement to be the official apparel provider of the NHL, making the company the exclusive supplier of jerseys to all NHL teams and the exclusive worldwide manufacturer replica jerseys.