A new program from Nissan Canada and the Canadian Football League (CFL) aims to kick-start struggling high school football programs.
“Back in the Game” will provide support to 21 high school football programs in Canada. From Vancouver to Montreal, the teams are located in each CFL market and will be given funding, equipment, field improvements or training materials.
Nissan has been a CFL partner for seven years. “[With “Back in the Game”], we wanted to extend our partnership and reach into some of the communities across Canada to better connect with people,” said Steve Rhind, director of marketing at Nissan. “Local dealers will be involved in helping, so that helps us get our name out there as well.”
Select teams will be featured in webisodes leading up to a 30-minute documentary at the end of the program. The content will tell the story of the teams’ trials and triumphs over the course of the 2014 football season, featuring the students as the stars of the show.
“[The content component] is a chance for Nissan to get even more exposure for this, so we could tell the story on a bigger scale,” said Rhind. “Following these two teams and seeing the benefit of our support and seeing their hard work will make for some really interesting content, which is always helpful for a marketer to have… I think there are going to be some very compelling stories that come out of this.”
For its part, the CFL will support the program with special guest appearances and resources, official CFL merchandise and amplification of program messaging and onsite activations throughout the season.
CFL Commissioner Mark Cohon and Toronto Argonauts’ Andre Durie (pictured above) were among those who participated in the media launch on July 15.
Nissan worked with TBWA, TrojanOne and Cohn & Wolfe on the campaign.
