Toronto agency The Hive has asked companies to come out and play in Road Hockey to Conquer Cancer as part of its pro bono involvement with the event.
More than 300 VIPs got hand-delivered invitations – promo boxes with street-hockey balls wedged in the front of them – that asked companies to sponsor the program and play. The direct mail package, which went out to executives, hoped to drive new corporate sponsorship.
The fundraiser – a day of road hockey at Toronto’s Ontario Place taking place on Sept. 28 – is in its third year. The agency took on the assignment to develop fresh branding for it pro bono, coming up with the tagline-slash-challenge, “Game On!”
“To use a hockey term, Game On Cancer is all about offense,” said agency vice-president and chief creative officer Simon Creet, in a release. “Game On is a battle cry to mobilize the hundreds of thousands of people in Toronto and around the country that have been touched by cancer to enter a team, join a team, sponsor a team or just come out and cheer.”
The Hive's direct mailer
In addition to the direct mail packages, the shop created digital and print advertisements that ran in media including The Globe and Mail and The Hockey News.
The Hive also has a team that will play in the tournament, which benefits the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation and has raised $4.7 million to date.
