Reebok delivered a full NHL experience to customers at its Montreal store in January. The shop was transformed with a synthetic ice rink floor, a replica scoreboard and a penalty box. NHL players visited throughout the month and the Stanley Cup also made an appearance.

‘We’re the official outfitters, so we felt it’s a natural connection,’ says Stewart Clark, marketing manager, footwear and apparel, Reebok Canada. ‘[We wanted to] celebrate the fact that the NHL All-Star game is in our city, and to offer consumers an experience that they may not necessarily be able to have otherwise.’

Fans also had the opportunity to sign up in-store and compete in a bubble hockey tournament on Jan. 17 and 18. The winner received two tickets to the All-Star game on Jan. 25. ‘As opposed to making it purely sweepstakes, we thought we’d make it a little more interactive and fun,’ says Clark.

The initiative, which was created in-house, was pushed with ads in the French Metro and on radio stations Team 990 and CKAC (the media buy was handled by Carat). The word also spread by email and through the Reebok Montreal store’s Facebook page (which has 579 members). The transformation helped the store push its line of NHL gear, including All-Star and Montreal Canadiens’ Centennial merchandise.