Rona provided one of its trademark products to assist the fans of two iconic NHL clubs in their playoff pregame superstitions.
The Canadian hardware retailer installed massive planks of 2x4s at Montreal’s Bell Centre and Edmonton’s Fan Park outside of Rogers Place to invite supporters to knock on wood – or on touche du bois – for good luck in the postseason.
The experiential activation, set up ahead of the opening postseason home games for Rona’s NHL partner clubs last week, set the foundation for a campaign created by Sid Lee that includes in-arena board displays and premium TV media placements as amplifiers.
“This campaign is a simple and 100% Rona way to unite behind our teams,” said Catherine Laporte, senior VP of marketing and customer experience at Rona. “Whether you’re in-store, on your way to the arena, or cheering from your living room, everyone can knock on wood. And if you’re just the right amount of superstitious, you might believe every win has something to do with that ritual.”
The Oilers used two straight wins in Edmonton to storm back from a 2-0 deficit and now hold a 3-2 lead in their best-of-seven series against the Los Angeles Kings after a 3-1 win on Tuesday.
The Canadiens, on the other hand, were eliminated from the postseason in five games with Wednesday night’s 4-1 loss to the Capitals in Washington.
Fans attending games in both cities also received a wooden-keychain lucky charms marked with “Knock on Wood” messaging. Rona also sent Mike, a character from March’s “Mike Chez Rona” Quebec TV spots, to interact with fans at Bell Centre.
Cossette handled the media buy and Substance worked on social media.
Rona launched the campaign after recently running a TV spot featuring the front half of a donkey to decry “half-assed” renovations. In March, the brand became an early adopter of “Buy Canadian” labelling by implementing “Well Made Here” logos at Rona’s 425 stores nationwide.
