2025 Winner

CASE SUMMARY

Molson is synonymous with hockey in Canada, specifically the male-driven NHL, so when the brand partnered with the PWHL (Professional Women’s Hockey League), they knew they had to show up for these female athletes in an impactful way.

With the PWHL being fairly new (established in 2023), women’s sports was finally being given a proper league of its own, but there continues to be lower viewership, less investment and more disparity for the female players. Not to mention that most women face inequalities due to standards that were developed for men.

With an existing lack of awareness for the players, traditional jersey designs weren't helping. A majority of the women have long hair; and with their names placed above their numbers, they often get covered. This makes it difficult for these athletes to make a name for themselves and makes success even harder to achieve compared to their male counterparts.

To counteract this issue, Molson sponsored the PWHL by buying the space above the jersey numbers so female players’ names can be seen. In “See My Name” they were able to move their names to the bottom of the jersey, making sure they could be more clearly shown while the athletes were playing.

On March 5th, the brand launched with an impactful online video that highlighted the problem and introduced the jerseys.

From there, the agency leaned into earned media, social and OOH, garnering an outstanding response both in Canada and on an International scale. The jerseys made their first appearance at the Toronto versus Montreal
International Women’s Day game.

The agency worked with an official jersey supplier to create the jerseys for both Montreal and Toronto teams, along with extras that could be provided to influencers and celebrities. Additional jerseys were created for local leagues that
featured the new design.

Molson saw both an increase in sales within 3 weeks since the campaign launch, with retail volume exceeding by 5.8% nationally and +15.2% in Ontario.

There has been an increase in brand love, with new consumers finding Molson both locally and internationally. Overall, the total impressions were 85,112,736 with the majority being overwhelmingly positive responses, boosting brand perception.

Incredible voices on social media organically began to applaud Molson for the initiative and even some legendary women athletes like Billie Jean King, who reposted on her Instagram story.

Credits

CCO: Aaron Starkman, Mike Dubrick
CSO: Sean McDonald
ECD: Xavier Blais
Group CD: Robbie Percy, Caroline Friesen
Art Director: Rachel LeBlanc, Ryan Cookish
Copywriter: Rachel LeBlanc, Ryan Cookish
Strategy Director: Crystal Sales
Strategist: Clément Martin
Broadcast Producer: Shannon Farrell
Integrated Producer: Narine Artinian
Group Business Lead: Shar Khursigara
Account Director: Jia Cau
Account Supervisor: Samantha Fabro
Traductrice: Eugénie Lalonde
Head of Brand Narrative: Meredith Montgomery
PR Group Account Director: Matt Milne
PR Account Director: Sara Lemmermeyer
PR Specialist: Kaitlyn Vian, Tara Lush-Benson
PR Coordinator: Sara Zivkovic
PR Influencer Relations: Citizen Relations
Account Director: Jonathan Siemens
Directrice de comptes: Audrey Ann Laurin
Account Manager: Jake Pare, Kristen Strong-Hillier
Production Company: Suneeva
Director / Stills Photographer: Jason Van Bruggen
DoP: Jason Van Bruggen, Matt Bujok
Executive Producer: Geoff Cornish
Line Producer: Dolores Salken
Editing Facility: Saints Editorial
Editor: Julie Simmons
Assistant Editors: Justin Arklay, Phoebe Lorimer
Executive Producer: Mackenzie Goodwin
Online: Darling Colour & VFX
Colourist: Kassi Bellamy
Flame Artist: Alexa Salsberg
Executive Producer: Kristen Van Fleet
Audio House: OSO
Executive Producer: Hannah Graham
Creative Directors: Harry Knazan
APR Brand Executive Producer: Lori Estabrooks
Media: Wavemaker
Client Business Director: Mitchell Bird
Associate Media Director: Devon Stephens
Senior Planner: Nick Fogarty
Assistant Planner: Farnaz Mohammadi, Jaxx Chomniak
Chief Marketing Officer: Sofia Colucci
VP, Marketing: Leslie Malcolm
Brand Director: Kara Fitzpatrick
Senior Brand Manager: Maddie Gillmeister
Brand Manager: Carlie Lorentz
Partnerships Manager: Brit Guthrie, Marlie McLaughlin
Director of Brand PR: Maya McDonald
Brand PR Manager: Tiffany Luong