Hockey promotion: Budweiser, StubHub team up via social, SMS

Dive Brief:

• Budweiser and StubHub are doling out $100,000 worth of StubHub credits to hockey fans in Quebec, according to a press release.
• The beer purveyor has enlisted hockey personalities, including Patrick Scebba of Hockey Collective and TVA Sports host Dave Morissette, to distribute 250 StubHub credits valued at $400 each to Quebec hockey fans. The personalities have already notified 250 fans through social media posts.
• Convenience store operator Couche-Tard is also participating in the initiative by giving away $1,000 in StubHub credits to a fan daily for 30 days. Couche-Tard starting dispensing the credits on Monday. Fans can enter for a chance to win by purchasing an 18-pack or more of Budweiser at participating Couche-Tard locations and following the text-to-win instructions included on the purchase receipt.

Dive Insight:

With their team securing a spot in the National Hockey League playoffs, Budweiser and StubHub are capitalizing on the excitement of Québécois and attempting to incite social media conversations by meting out credits to fans on social media platforms. StubHub in particular has been paying much more attention to building its social media footprint recently. Mashable notes it has rolled out a new iMessage integration and a Facebook Messenger chatbot. On iMessage, StubHub allows users to search for events and suggest them to friends. The Facebook Messenger chatbot helps people find and buy tickets.

The promotion also includes a text-to-win element, pointing to mobile’s ability to engage consumers at the point of purchase in brick-and-mortar stores with an interactive offer.

Even though professional hockey’s fan base is much smaller than the fan bases of the NBA, MLB or NBA, hockey fans are highly passionate and engaged, covetable qualities for marketers aiming to drive awareness and product sales. NHL chief marketing officer Heidi Browning told the Wall Street Journal the league’s recent All-Star Game drove billions of impressions and was the highest rated All-Star Game since 2004. And with five Canadian teams in the playoffs — the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers, Ottawa Senators and Calgary Flames — the TV ratings for the games are expected to be huge, not to mention the social media chatter surrounding them.