BMO Financial Group has extended its longstanding partnership with the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) with a new four-year agreement.
The new deal, announced today at a Toronto press conference attended by former NHL stars – and CHL alumni – Doug Gilmour, Marcel Dionne and Gary Roberts, makes BMO the official bank of the CHL and its three member leagues: the Ontario Hockey League, Western Hockey League and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
As part of the deal, BMO will have on-ice signage at each of the CHL’s 46 arenas, a presence in CHL telecasts and on both the CHL website and the websites of individual teams. The bank is also introducing team-specific posters and window decals in each CHL market.
Sandy Bourne, BMO’s Toronto-based vice-president of sponsorships, advertising and corporate events, said there will also be “significant” activations around the sponsorship, most notably an expansion of its “BMO Power of Blue” rewards program set to launch Oct. 24.
“It’s really important for us to be very localized and show that we are part of the community, because that’s important to our customers and our employees,” said Bourne of the expanded relationship. “The CHL was just a fantastic way to reach out across the country.”
The CHL agreement is the latest in a series of sports sponsorships for BMO that include partnerships with Major League Soccer’s Toronto F.C., Vancouver Whitecaps and, beginning next season, the Montreal Impact, as well as an extensive grassroots soccer program and annual events including the Calgary Stampede and the Nations’ Cup show jumping competition at Spruce Meadows.
Bourne said that the CHL sponsorship would enable BMO to reach a wide variety of consumer segments, such as young families seeking a mortgage or older couples potentially in the market for RESPs, RRSPs or perhaps a loan for home renovations.
Bourne called the CHL “a great fit” and a “nice match” for BMO’s client base since it expands on an existing relationship that dates back 10 years. “We really believe this provides us an excellent opportunity to deepen our relationship with communities across Canada,” she said. “We want to engage in activities and properties that are going to be relevant to the communities we serve with our banking products and services. It helps to show that we have a commitment to these communities.”
As part of its CHL sponsorship, BMO will also launch a contest called “Score a Trip to the Memorial Cup,” offering a trip for four people to the 2012 MasterCard Memorial Cup in Shawinigan, Que. It will promote the contest through ATM messaging, ads on BMO.com and in-statement messaging.
Is BMO leveraging its sports sponsorships effectively? How valueable is the CHL as a sponsorship property? Post your thoughts in our comment section.
