PR in the Playoffs
While listening to CBC radio this morning, I heard that the ratings for the third round are down from last year. That stat got me thinking. Last year’s third round had Ottawa pushing for the finals. This year, round three had all American teams. This is where my bias will become very clear.
The PR strength of hockey in Canada is an interesting phenomenon to examine. Hockey isn’t a sport in the minds of fans like me. Hockey is a way of life. Our Canadian way of life. The dominance of American teams, which account for about three quarters of all NHL teams, since 1993 is disturbing for fans. Usually, when there is a trend impacting an audience, PR can do a lot for shifting the trend away from the negative. Unfortunately, hockey isn’t a regular business environment. Canadians love watching hockey games when a Canadian team is making the push. Calgary’s run in 2004 started a trend of country-wide support for Canadian teams within reach of the cup. Canadians are a stronger and better hockey audience for the NHL. Although new teams in Canada aren’t allowed for some strange reason, the NHL continues to market an American heavy NHL in Canada.
How does Tampa Bay, Carolina and Anaheim winning the cup do anything for the NHL? These markets are subject to bandwagon fans that are gone as fast as they came if the team goes into a slump. On the other hand, look at Toronto. That arena sells out for no logical reason other than an absolute love of hockey and the team. Hockey PR in Canada, while as challenging as any type of PR, is an easier science than in the States. These playoffs are a perfect example. Most Canadians are cheering for Pittsburgh. Why? A good Nova Scotia kid by the name of Sidney Crosby. We support our own. That dedication is the emotional twist Canadian teams put into their PR work. And we buy into it.
But in the States, hockey is entertainment. Remember, in Canada hockey is a way of life – entertainment is a side benefit. Marketing a hockey team in America is like marketing a circus. Cheerleaders on the ice, overblown intermission shows, etc. Just look at the All-Star game where there are Superbowl style performances by musicians. For a true hockey fan in Canada, these gimmicks take away from the game, which is why we are there. American teams have too continually offer incentives other than the hockey itself to retain and expand their audiences.
This trend in American hockey PR is not a good thing. The more that PR professionals are forced to market hockey as something other than hockey, the less credibility the NHL administration has as a representative for hockey. I suggest everyone who goes to NHL hockey games take the time to go to a University or College level game. These games are about the hockey – skilled players demonstrating the best of the game. If you can’t handle sitting through one of those games, you aren’t a hockey fan. For Canadian hockey PR professionals, keep using our emotional ties to hockey to your advantage. To American PR professionals, good luck finding the hockey spirit needed to find true fans.
