Canadians lamenting the summer for its lack of NHL action can get a dose of hockey in Sport Chek’s latest TV and digital spot.
The ad, released Monday, features amateur hockey players and NHL star Steven Stamkos performing drills and pushing their limits. It’s the latest in the sport retailer’s “What are you sweating for?” campaign, which aims to connect athletes of different levels through the lens of training.
“Owning training for us became critical because it’s foundational to every sport. We said we need to make training something more tangible and that’s where sweat came in, because there’s no training without sweat,” said Frederick Lecoq, the senior vice-president of marketing at Sport Chek’s parent company FGL Sports.
Stamkos was selected for the spot because “He’s a perfect fit for the brand. He embodies the value of training, sweating, working hard. Pushing your limits, never [giving] up. He’s such a hard worker,” said Lecoq.
The ad was shot in July at a hockey arena in Toronto’s west end. After filming on the ice for hours, Stamkos told Marketing, “It’s about doing your best. Digging that extra mile. The last couple spots I’ve done with Sport Chek seemed to have the same feature; are you willing to do that little more than the next person to get that much better, no matter what sport.”
Amateur hockey players were included in the spot to form an emotional connection with customers. “I don’t think we should feature only pro elite people in our ads because you’ll get a disconnection. Instead of talking about how different these pro athletes are you should start with what they have in common with you — you all train for something and sweat for a reason,” Lecoq said.
The content shot during filming in July will be distributed throughout the year on social platforms.
“Building a brand is around consistency and continuity. The world of marketing is changing, people aren’t buying content for a limited period of time. The more content you have you can sustain that momentum,” said Lecoq.
Rethink was responsible for the creative, North Strategic managed PR and social, and Touché handled the media buy.
I like how Sport Chek and their agency are breaking new ground in this category. This is the first time I’ve seen an ad with a lot of athletes working hard and sweating. What a novel approach. Kudos to the team for uncovering a creative insight that hasn’t been tapped into yet.
Monday, August 17 @ 11:39 am |