does the nhl need a new marketing campaign?

[soultrain 43]

How could major league baseball be a more popular sport? Do you think branding the sport is important? I believe there should be more money spent on marketing.

[crotty99 302]

Is this the year the NHL gets a new marketing campaign?

haha sorry couldnt resist

[Guest CaliWingsNut]

Is this the year the NHL gets a new marketing campaign that works?

Fixed

[SouthernWingsFan 854]

How could major league baseball be a more popular sport? Do you think branding the sport is important? I believe there should be more money spent on marketing.

Baseball may not be more popular to you or myself, but ask 50 random people that like watching sports and I will guarantee you that a large majority will probably identify with baseball first over hockey. Baseball may not be "America's Pastime" anymore (debatable, could be football, something I don't really care about debating right now), but it is still popular to a great many people, it is easier to understand by the average Joe Smith fan compared to hockey, it is cheaper to play, and so forth.

[McCartyFanForLife 17]

How could major league baseball be a more popular sport? Do you think branding the sport is important? I believe there should be more money spent on marketing.

It's America's pastime, that's why. Also, you can go to a Major League Baseball game for a fraction of the price of a hockey game. It goes down to youth involvement. Youth hockey in America (in non-hockey areas) is impossible to play either because there are no facilities for it OR the price is astronomical. In Canada, there are youth rec leagues for kids that are about $40 per season. I live in West Michigan and the cheapest is at least $750 for a season. Equipment is expensive and you need ice.

For baseball, rec leagues are incredibly cheap and you can play it almost anywhere in America. Equipment is relatively cheap. That is why baseball is and will continue to be more popular.

[VM1138 1,921]

Yeah, hockey will never be the #1 sport due to cost of playing. However, it can become more popular by continuing to develop the national minor leagues (anyone notice the huge increase in hockey jersey's from all over the past two seasons? Hockey is making its comeback) and getting back on ESPN. And yes, they need a marketing vision that isn't amateurish. THat means players who can act a little, production quality that looks like some professionally done, and no lame taglines. Steal the marketing people from football if you have to.

[DyingAlive 27]

The NHL should hire Def Leppard to be their spokesperson for their new marketing campaign.

[Shutemdown 23]

The NHL should hire Def Leppard to be their spokesperson for their new marketing campaign.

I wish Quincey would've hit their lead singer before we waived him...

[55fan 5,133]

I just looked into the cost of getting a cable package that would allow me to see Wings games. Holy Hannah! If I had that kind of money, I'd get my roof fixed.

What the NHL needs is to make the game visible to people who aren't well-off or live in areas where the home games are on regular tv.

I said this last year, and I'll say it again. PBS. Every Friday or Saturday night show a hockey game. Before the game, show one hour documentary of the home country of a player from one of the teams playing. Call it educational programming. Get a grant. Show the game.

As long as we have a contract with NBC, start advertising, and not just during hockey games. Show a high profile game the week off before the Superbowl when there's no football. Show commercials during the football playoffs. Show some hits, some fights, some great goals. Then announce "The playoffs haven't even started yet." or some such thing.

I'm going to be blatantly sexist here. Put together calanders of the hottest guys in hockey. Not the nice ones they have now with the guys in gear, but swimsuit calanders. SI puts out a chick swimsuit issue; why not a hockey swimsuit calander? The guys are ripped. I'm telling you, Crosby, Modano, Flip...they'd sell to the man-interested crowd, who might then tune into the games.

And that Hank and Pav reality show? Yeah. Do it.

[ilmickeyli 40]

Sure, while they are at it, use someone else other than Cindy

[soultrain 43]

I just looked into the cost of getting a cable package that would allow me to see Wings games. Holy Hannah! If I had that kind of money, I'd get my roof fixed.

What the NHL needs is to make the game visible to people who aren't well-off or live in areas where the home games are on regular tv.

I said this last year, and I'll say it again. PBS. Every Friday or Saturday night show a hockey game. Before the game, show one hour documentary of the home country of a player from one of the teams playing. Call it educational programming. Get a grant. Show the game.

As long as we have a contract with NBC, start advertising, and not just during hockey games. Show a high profile game the week off before the Superbowl when there's no football. Show commercials during the football playoffs. Show some hits, some fights, some great goals. Then announce "The playoffs haven't even started yet." or some such thing.

I'm going to be blatantly sexist here. Put together calanders of the hottest guys in hockey. Not the nice ones they have now with the guys in gear, but swimsuit calanders. SI puts out a chick swimsuit issue; why not a hockey swimsuit calander? The guys are ripped. I'm telling you, Crosby, Modano, Flip...they'd sell to the man-interested crowd, who might then tune into the games.

And that Hank and Pav reality show? Yeah. Do it.

these are all great idea's. ice girls are a good idea. every team should have them.

[dtowndrew 0]

In response to the original question, "How can MLB be more popular than the NHL?" I would say history, and the way more Americans identify with baseball through personal experience with the game. Bottom line...lack of television exposure is what kills the NHL in America. Baseball is on Fox, TBS, ESPN and your local RSN; frankly, you're bombarded with it. Out here in Idaho, I have to subscribe to a top tier satellite service to get Versus to watch the national broadcasts and then drop the coin for Center Ice to watch the Wings regularly. If I didn't spend the money, I'd be left with the 10 games NBC so graciously puts on the air in a bad Saturday afternoon time slot that would otherwise be left for infomercials. I do get the Avalanche games through my local RSN, but even I don't love hockey enough to watch the turnips night-in and night-out.

Hockey on Versus

My monthly satellite bill

Hockey on ESPN

[Chase 0]

In response to the original question, "How can MLB be more popular than the NHL?" I would say history, and the way more Americans identify with baseball through personal experience with the game. Bottom line...lack of television exposure is what kills the NHL in America. Baseball is on Fox, TBS, ESPN and your local RSN; frankly, you're bombarded with it. Out here in Idaho, I have to subscribe to a top tier satellite service to get Versus to watch the national broadcasts and then drop the coin for Center Ice to watch the Wings regularly. If I didn't spend the money, I'd be left with the 10 games NBC so graciously puts on the air in a bad Saturday afternoon time slot that would otherwise be left for infomercials. I do get the Avalanche games through my local RSN, but even I don't love hockey enough to watch the turnips night-in and night-out.

Hockey on Versus

My monthly satellite bill

Hockey on ESPN

Ah the good ol' days.... When anybody that had a basic cable package could watch the NHL...

[SouthernWingsFan 854]

I just looked into the cost of getting a cable package that would allow me to see Wings games. Holy Hannah! If I had that kind of money, I'd get my roof fixed.

What the NHL needs is to make the game visible to people who aren't well-off or live in areas where the home games are on regular tv.

I said this last year, and I'll say it again. PBS. Every Friday or Saturday night show a hockey game. Before the game, show one hour documentary of the home country of a player from one of the teams playing. Call it educational programming. Get a grant. Show the game.

As long as we have a contract with NBC, start advertising, and not just during hockey games. Show a high profile game the week off before the Superbowl when there's no football. Show commercials during the football playoffs. Show some hits, some fights, some great goals. Then announce "The playoffs haven't even started yet." or some such thing.

I'm going to be blatantly sexist here. Put together calanders of the hottest guys in hockey. Not the nice ones they have now with the guys in gear, but swimsuit calanders. SI puts out a chick swimsuit issue; why not a hockey swimsuit calander? The guys are ripped. I'm telling you, Crosby, Modano, Flip...they'd sell to the man-interested crowd, who might then tune into the games.

And that Hank and Pav reality show? Yeah. Do it.

A male swimsuit calendar eh? That could attract the male gigolo's to the sport.

In all seriousness though, I do like the PBS idea, completely out of the box but I like it.

[Jwo 7]

The NHL needs to get on the SPEED channel. Hockey is fast! Plus this channel is always on more then one tv at BARS!

Edited October 18, 2008 by Jwo

[vangvace 12]

these are all great idea's. ice girls are a good idea. every team should have them.

boo