2023 Winner

CASE SUMMARY

The Hockey Diversity Alliance (HDA) was formed in the wake of the George Floyd murder and the resurgence of Black Lives Matter in 2020 with the goal of eradicating racism and intolerance in hockey, where only 5.7% of players are BIPOC. Seeing an opportunity to deliver on its commitment to make hockey more inclusive, Budweiser partnered with Anomaly and the HDA to help realize this goal.

Research led to this insight: hockey’s aversion to controversy was the main obstacle in the way of change. That is what fueled the silence and inaction over the years and they needed to strike at that political correctness first.

The idea was born out of the game, taking the same roll of tape used to protect hockey sticks from damage and repurposing it to protect hockey’s BIPOC minority from hate, symbolically, through words of support, but also literally using the proceeds
from sales of special edition tape.

A fearless campaign was born: #TapeOutHate galvanized hockey’s fanbase, igniting a movement to eradicate racism in hockey. The campaign spotlighted harsh realities, and disrupted a culture that resists change and limits freedom of expression.

Social media was instrumental in speaking directly to fans: engaging through content, enabling them to share their support using the hashtag #TapeOutHate, and driving them to purchase the tape and contribute to the HDA’s mission.

#TapeOutHate gave both players and fans a powerful tool to speak out and take a stand. The campaign was the first ever to get picked up by the Associated Press and ESPN in the U.S., and generated an outpouring of support from players and fans alike.

#TapeOutHate trended #1 organically on Twitter within hours of launch. It generated more than 500 stories, totaling over 350MM earned media impressions, hitting every major outlet in the country in under two weeks.

Over 2,000 rolls of hockey tape sold out online within six hours of launch. A second batch of 1,500 rolls was released within 48 hours and sold out the same day. Ten thousand more rolls hit Canada’s largest sports retailer and sold out within days.

In addition to the tape, fans supported by purchasing merchandise from the HDA’s website, generating $200K+ of unanticipated dedicated funds in two weeks.

Budweiser received requests from hockey coaches and players in leagues across Canada, the U.S. and Europe, requesting tape for their teams and
sharing their support/stories.

Credits

Advertising/Creative Agency: Anomaly
Group Creative Director: Neil Blewett
Creative Director (FR): Etienne Bastien
Art Director: Jose Rivas, Graham Nhlamba
Copywriter: Lexie Hoffmeyer, Neil Blewett
Designer: Graham Nhlamba
Head of Design: Shawn Lambino
Business Director: Alexa Espinosa
Account Supervisor: Danielle Haberman
Agency producer: Annya Williams
Group Planning Director: Mahmoud El Kattan
Social strategist: Matthew Stasoff
Global Head of DE&I: Kristi Henderson
Group Business Head: Matt Holton
ECD/Partner: Dave Douglass
President/Partner: Candace Borland
Head of production: Marie-Pierre Toure
Association: Hockey Diversity Alliance
Founder & chairman: Akim Aliu
Director of client services at ZGM: Ben Archer
Social media strategists at ZGM: Logan Widdicombe
Advertiser/Brand: Budweiser Labatt
Company: ABinBev
Sr. Brand Manager, Budweiser Labatt: Dave Sheedy
Community Manager, Budweiser Labatt: Alex Metaxas
Sr. Director of Marketing, Budweiser Labatt: Mike D’Agostini
VP Marketing, Labatt: Andrew Oosterhuis
Strategy Manager, Labatt: Alicia Wakeham
Social Insights Manager, Draftline YYZ Labatt: Rachel Kielar
Community Manager, Draftline YYZ Labatt: Samantha Gibbard
Sr. Manager Connections, Labatt: Aleen Artinian
Communications Manager, Labatt: Veronica Bart
Director of Communications, Labatt: Tamar Nersesian
Legal Counsel, Labatt: Adam Nickerson
Marketing Compliance Manager, Labatt: Christine Arsenault
Public Relations: Veritas
Media: Dentsu
Experiential: SALT XC
Production: Steam Films
Audio Production: Grayson Music
Music Director: Tyson Kuteyi
Post Production: The Vanity
Post Production: Nimiopere