How the NHL can grow through COVID-19 Part 1: Marketing

As we continue our way through a truly unprecedented time, the world by and large has been forced to adapt. Sports have been no exception to this as we have witnessed the interruption of any resemblance of the norm. Anytime change is forced upon you, there is a unique opportunity for rapid growth and correction that otherwise may not be possible or worthwhile.

This is part one of a series that will cover various ideas for how the NHL can grow. This part will touch on the marketing aspect while the next ones will cover revenue, salary cap, and the sport as a whole.

It goes without saying that the NHL is facing a revenue issue as arenas are prohibited from allowing fans in and thus, they must find creative alternatives to replace some of the lost revenue. A key part of that is cost-effective, innovative marketing.

A lot of the ideas stem from one fundamental tactic: letting the players market themselves.

Of the four major North American sports leagues, the NHL is the furthest behind in enabling and supporting players in self-marketing. They are getting better though, as many of the young budding superstars are following the footsteps of an Alexander Ovechkin over that of the hockey traditionalist poster child, such as Sidney Crosby. Players like Auston Matthews, Connor McDavid, and Canucks’ star Elias Pettersson are paving the way for self-marketing by employing marketing teams and utilizing platforms like esports, streaming, social media, and fashion. New Jersey Devils’ players PK Subban and Connor Carrick have used vlogs and podcasts to advance their personal brands as well.

This style of marketing is incredibly effective, especially with younger generations and it costs nothing out of the NHL’s pocket.

Gen Z provides an interesting problem that all of the major sports have yet to face: an entire generation that consumes entertainment differently. As much as it may be distasteful to older generations who view hockey as some pure, traditional sport that can not evolve or change without losing that purity and culture, it is integral for the sport to do so in order to continue to grow.

Online marketing allows players to show off not just their abilities and skillsets on the ice, but personas and interests off of the ice. More and more, young fans are interested in individual players rather than pledging an undying loyalty to one franchise. In the NBA, athletes such as Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Giannis Antetokoumpo and the late Kobe Bryant transcended the sport in terms of recognizability and fandom. NFL examples include the likes of Tom Brady, Russell Wilson, and Rob Gronkowski.

The NBA is leading the charge in globalizing their game and showcasing their talented athletes. They have allowed players to make personal statements and showcase their personality by abolishing rigid dress codes so that players can make fashion statements. Russell Westbrook, for example, has his own fashion line and does a fair bit of fashion design that he has made a name for himself with aside from the sport. The NHL would be wise to encourage and fully support this as well. Elias Pettersson puts fans into a frenzy whenever he shows his latest outfits on social media.

Time to take it a step further and allow that display of personality and creativity to bleed into the game on the ice as well. Goaltenders have long been able to personalize their equipment as they wish. Skaters may not have the same real estate available on their equipment to take the same creative liberties but they at least have as much as NFL players.

 

Loosening guidelines on skates unlocks various possibilities for players. For example, players can use them to bring attention to a cause or charity, use them to raise money for those causes, or even just make a fashion statement. The possibilities are endless and it creates entirely new discussions around the game.

“Brock Boeser, what inspired your skate design?”

Imagine the discussions and journalism born out of one simple change and it is one that is easily doable.

Lastly, the philosophy behind merchandise needs to be adjusted. Instead of trying to raise prices on individual sales to make the impact from each of those sales count, the philosophy should be that every fan needs to have something. Whether it be a jersey (retails currently around $300) or a hat (retails around $45), the average fan needs more access to it. Especially since the inflated prices make it a purchase that can be out of reach for many families and fans, particularly in a pandemic. Rather than encourage fans to save up and spend money with the franchise that would benefit from the purchase of merchandise, it tends to redirect purchases to lower-priced knock-off versions. Reducing the prices would redirect those purchases to the source.

One direct bit of value for the organization is sale volume rather than trying to milk every ounce of potential revenue out of each individual sale. The second is the marketing that is provided with thousands of fans wearing your merch proudly, rather than being unable to afford it or turning to alternative means to represent their fandom.

Ultimately, the reason that these ideas would work is that they are simple, cost-effective, and vital to engaging a wider audience for the continuous growth of the sport.