Budweiser Canada is paying homage to the origin of all great goals — the puck — with “Home of Goals,” a Super Bowl spot celebrating the employees of Soucy Baron, a Quebec factory that makes pucks for the NHL.
Developed in partnership with the brand’s AOR, Anomaly, the 60-second ad chronicles a surprise visit Budweiser brewery workers made to the St. Jérôme, Que. factory in December.
Ten Soucy Baron employees received customized “Budweiser Red Lights” (a game-synched device that lights up and sounds a horn each time a fan’s favourite team scores a goal) and were flown via private jet to New York to watch the Islanders take on the Montreal Canadians at Nassau Coliseum.
“We’ve done some amazing storytelling finding those authentic hockey stories that people don’t know about, and we felt there’s a lot in common with the craftsmanship and care that the Soucy Baron workers put in to creating every hockey puck – which is a nice parallel with Budweiser,” said Todd Allen, brand director, Budweiser Canada. “We felt very excited to tell their story, surprise them, and say thank you for all their hard work and dedication to the goals.”
Although Budweiser is not an official sponsor of the NHL, the brand is the official beer partner of the Vancouver Canucks, Winnipeg Jets and Calgary Flames. In 2013, it inked a multi-year sponsorship deal with the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA), and partnered with Hockey Night in Canada, making the brand the official sponsor of Coach’s Corner.
After the spot debuts at this year’s Super Bowl on Feb. 1, Allen said the company will collaborate with its partners for a number of activations slated to take place at arenas, bars and a few “secret locations” across the country.
Canadians will have the opportunity to sign pucks made at the Soucy Baron factory, thanking workers for the goals. The pucks will then be collected and constructed into a new town sign for St. Jérôme.
The brand is also encouraging hockey fans to voice their appreciation online using the #ThankYouForTheGoals hashtag.
“Home of Goals” will run until March. UM is handling the media buy, Mosaic is responsible for experiential executions, and Veritas Communications is tasked with PR.
