I’m excited! The 2009-2010 National Hockey League season starts today. It’s promising to be another awesome season, with teams having rearranged their lineups last summer to compete, over 82 regular season games and four grueling playoff rounds, for the ultimate sports trophy, the Stanley Cup. Whether you’re a hockey fan or not, the NHL offers a great example of generating buzz with special events.
In the United States, the NHL is a minor league player, far behind football, baseball, and basketball in terms of popularity and viewership. Yet though hockey will hardly attain in the U.S. the status it has in Canada, in the past couple of years the League has successfully used special events to create word of mouth.
The NHL now frames the season around three (sets of) events:
- Beginning: NHL Premiere, the season openers in Europe. This year, four games will be held, in Helsinki and Stockholm. The start of any sports season is a natural fit for buzz making. Exporting games to European hockey countries, the NHL gives a nod to the origin of many League players and recognizes the strong viewer base there.
- Middle(ish): Winter Classic, the New Year’s Day outdoor game. The Winter Classic will be held only for the 3rd time this season, at Boston’s Fenway Park. The League aims to create a tradition – hence the name – in the Superbowl mold. So far so good: NBC ratings for the 2009 Winter Classic managed to beat all expectations. This year, you could register for a chance to buy Winter Classic tickets.
End: The Stanley Cup final. The season finale is another natural fit for buzz creation. Indeed, last year’s Game 7 of the final was the most watched NHL game in 36 years.
If you’ve never heard about any of these events or don’t care to, it’s okay: though it’s clear market expansion may be a positive byproduct, special events are for the converted. While some of the above events attracted people who may have not followed them without the surrounding marketing blitz (or spousal cajoling, as in my wife’s case), special events like these don’t aim to attract new audiences. Special events target existing customers: to confirm their group identity as fans, as members of an inner circle; to reinforce their engagement in consuming and shaping your product; or to reward them for their evangelism.
If you want to generate buzz around your product, you must give your talkers something to talk about. As with hockey fans in America, your customers are your natural talkers. And as with the NHL special events, your special events should give your talkers a good reason to attend, watch, discuss, and invite others to participate. Particularly with niche products like hockey in the U.S., your fans are your primary evangelists (though when it comes to the San Francisco 49ers and some of my California friends, a piece of rubber chased around the ice with sticks loses every time). Special events will serve as recognition of and reward for their efforts, and a basis for encouraging more of it.
As with the NHL, it’s a good idea to anchor your events around the calendar and to repeat them, annually or in whatever interval that makes sense for your business. Consistent repetition will help you turn your special events into ritualized traditions and provide a consistent narrative that can be reinforced through every iteration. I’ve been looking forward to today since Sidney Crosby lifted the Cup back in June. I used to have nothing better to do on New Year’s Day but lounge around – now I know that come noon time, I’m glued to the NHL Winter Classic with everything that comes with it (a mimosa at the puck drop, please). And I can’t wait for the playoffs.
The Vancouver Canucks are opening their season against their divisional rival Calgary Flames tonight at 7 Pacific on CBC/Center Ice. Enjoy the season opener game!
Oh, and keep your head up and stick on the ice!
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Image credits: Reuters, UPI, and Getty Images
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