Canadian NHL star P.K. Subban had a big day Wednesday. Not only was the 26-year-old again nominated for the Norris Trophy, he began new sponsorship arrangements with two premier properties — Samsung and Gatorade.
His partnership with Samsung began at noon Wednesday when he hosted a Q&A on the brand’s Twitter feed. Fans tweeted questions at him using the hashtag #ClosertoPK.
At the NHL Awards, Subban was set to take over Samsung’s Twitter account at 7 p.m. and will act as the brand’s official correspondent.
Mark Childs, the CMO of Samsung Canada, said Subban received 659 tweets during the Q&A. He responded to 21 and generated around 15.5 million impressions.
“We’re trying to engage with Canadians in a way that gets them get closer to their passions,” said Childs. “In this case, we’re talking about the passion of hockey, which is very Canadian and a very engaged topic.”
Childs said Subban was offered the partnership because he’s a fan favourite and represents Samsung’s brand. “Young-minded Canadians are our primary audience. They’re technologically engaged, they’re passionate. What we found in PK was the complete embodiment of the passion and energy that is a young-minded Canadian.”
The partnership with Subban is another step in Samsung’s association with hockey. It offers the NHL mobile application on its devices, which gives hockey fans access to stats, scores and personalized content.
“It is part of a bigger play for us. Hockey has been that passion point to connect with our audience through technology for a number of years,” said Childs. “Today we’re excited to be starting the relationship with P.K. Subban.”
Gatorade announced it had signed Subban Wednesday as well. Claudia Calderon, the marketing director of Gatorade Canada said in a press release, “He embodies so much of what our brand stands for. He is someone who puts in the hard work, has the inherent desire to win and is a leader in the game.”
Subban joined the likes of Sidney Crosby, Usain Bolt, Serena Williams and Peyton Manning as a Gatorade athlete.
