Fan reaction to 2011 campaign shapes new work
Visa Canada has brought back its “Hockey Love Hurts” campaign with the launch of new television and online creative in advance of the NHL playoffs.
Developed by TBWA/Toronto, the campaign consists of a 30-second television spot and an online version that runs just under two minutes. The commercials, scored with the Nazareth song “Love Hurts,” show a dejected Winnipeg Jets fan shaving his playoff beard, washing off his Jets face paint and burying his foam finger after his team is eliminated from contention.
The spots, which are narrated by actor Morgan Freeman, also alert viewers to a contest in which the winner and 10 friends receive a trip to Game 1 of the 2012 Stanley Cup Final. Consumers are automatically entered into the contest each time they use their Visa card.
The web version launched last week on sites such as YouTube and NHL.com. The TV edit followed earlier this week.
The campaign expands on a theme introduced by Visa last season. According to Allen Oke, creative director at TBWA/Toronto, this year’s creative direction was driven in part by consumer response to the previous spot.
“We found in research last year that the scene in last year’s commercial where a Philadelphia Flyers fan throws his jersey in the dumpster, that frustration resonated,” said Oke. “We just took that a little bit further.”
“I think it’s much different than the other way that people play at hockey, especially for the playoffs. Other brands will have overt expressions of passion, whereas we want to take it a little step further and show the pain that can come when your passion is unrequited.
The campaign also includes banner and rich media online creative.
