Produced in Collaboration with Highdive Creative Agency, the Ads Debut Today to Coincide with First Games of the Playoffs
NHL Public Relations
April 17, 2023
NEW YORK / CHICAGO (April 17, 2023) – The National Hockey League (NHL) today unveiled its new creative for the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Three new spots will rotate and run across the NHL’s digital and social media platforms before making a national TV debut tonight during First Round game broadcasts on ESPN, ESPN2, SN, SN360, SNE, SNO, SNP, CBC and TVA Sports, and tomorrow night on TBS.
Created by Highdive – an independently owned, full-service creative agency – each of the three spots (“First Kiss,” “Look Up” and “Built to Share”) underscore the magic, thrills and emotions Players and fans experience in the presence of the Stanley Cup. “First Kiss” is from the perspective of winning Players in the euphoric moment and the tradition of kissing the Cup for the first time. “Look Up” is a reminder of how young fans dream of hoisting the Cup and, for a select few, it turns into reality. “Built to Share” highlights the Stanley Cup’s meaning and emotional connection with people around the world in its role as hockey’s greatest ambassador.
“It’s the greatest trophy in sports, and our goal was to illustrate the relationship and emotional connection that both Players and fans have with the Stanley Cup,” said Casey Hall, NHL Senior Vice President of Marketing & Consumer Insights. “We hope these spots remind all sports fans how special the Cup is, and why the Stanley Cup Playoffs are so meaningful to so many different people.”
“Each piece of work showcases what’s special about the Stanley Cup in a unique way, both tonally and conceptually,” stated Chad Broude, co-founder of Highdive. “Instead of going with just one perspective, we decided to create three separate yet connected spots so fans can get different looks at all of the emotions attached to winning the championship. Fans wait all year for the Playoffs and we believe these ads will help build excitement and make them feel inspired by the quest for the Cup.”
The 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs begin tonight. Playoff games will be televised on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, TNT and TBS in the U.S., and on SN, SN1, SN360, CBC, TVA Sports and TVAS2 in Canada. NHL international television partners will broadcast games to fans around the world.
For the full First Round schedule, visit NHL.com. Fans can follow the conversation via the hashtag #StanleyCup.
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NHL, the NHL Shield, and the word mark and image of the Stanley Cup are registered trademarks of the National Hockey League. © NHL 2023. All Rights Reserved.
About the NHL
The National Hockey League (NHL®), founded in 1917, consists of 32 Member Clubs. Each team roster reflects the League’s international makeup with players from more than 20 countries represented, all vying for the most cherished and historic trophy in professional sports – the Stanley Cup®. Every year, the NHL entertains more than 670 million fans in-arena and through its partners on national television and radio; more than 191 million followers – league, team and player accounts combined – across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube; and more than 100 million fans online at NHL.com. The League broadcasts games in more than 160 countries and territories through its rightsholders including ESPN, WBD Sports and NHL Network in the U.S.; Sportsnet and TVA Sports in Canada; Viaplay in the Nordics, Baltics, and Poland; YLE in Finland; Nova in Czech Republic and Slovakia; Sky Sports and ProSieben in Germany; MySports in Switzerland; and CCTV5+ in China; and reaches fans worldwide with games available to stream in every country. Fans are engaged across the League’s digital assets on mobile devices via the free NHL® App; across nine social media platforms; on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio™; and on NHL.com, available in eight languages and featuring unprecedented access to player and team statistics as well as every regular-season and playoff game box score dating back to the League’s inception, powered by SAP. NHL Original Productions and NHL Studios produce compelling original programming featuring unprecedented access to players, coaches and League and team personnel for distribution across the NHL’s social and digital platforms.
The NHL is committed to building healthy and vibrant communities using the sport of hockey to celebrate fans of every race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity, age, sexual orientation, and socio-economic status. The NHL’s Hockey Is For Everyone® initiative reinforces that the official policy of the sport is one of inclusion on the ice, in locker rooms, boardrooms and stands. The NHL is expanding access and opportunity for people of all backgrounds and abilities to play hockey, fostering more inclusive environments and growing the game through a greater diversity of participants. To date, the NHL has invested more than $100 million in youth hockey and grassroots programs, with a commitment to invest an additional $5 million for diversity and inclusion programs over the next year. To learn more about the NHL, visit NHL.com.
About Highdive Advertising
Founded in 2016, Highdive (highdiveus.com) is an independently owned, full-service creative agency headquartered in Chicago. With a focus on creating work so powerful it can’t be ignored, the agency has a simple promise: to create the healthiest client and agency relationships in the world. Led by four seasoned advertising executives who set out to create an agency made up exclusively of top performers across every discipline, Highdive is breaking the traditional agency model to deliver big ideas for brands including Jeep, Ram Trucks, Boost Mobile, Airheads, Fruit-tella, Lay’s, Beam Suntory and Rocket Mortgage. On a rapid growth trajectory, Highdive has been named Advertising Age Small Agency of the Year (Midwest, Gold) three times and in 2020 Advertising Age Small Agency of the Year (Gold, National). Highdive also ranked number one on Adweek’s 2020 Fastest Growing Agencies List. To learn more about Highdive, visit https://highdiveus.com/.
COURTESY NHLmedia.com
