Arizona Coyotes

The Arizona Coyotes aren’t your normal hockey team. Arizona couldn’t be further away from a traditional hockey market, as the Coyotes play hockey in the middle of the desert. For years, marketing plans had tried to overlook this fact, attempting to sell hockey the same way hockey was sold everywhere else. When in reality the Coyotes situation was both unique and interesting.

Multiple attempts at failed ownership had led the NHL to take over operations of the team. And every time it seemed the Coyotes were on the verge of improving their situation, another shoe would drop. Most hockey fans believed hell would need to freeze over before the Coyotes would experience any meaningful success. Using a unique inside-out branding approach called The Room, we conducted a series of interviews with players and staff from the team. This research revealed that the Coyotes team actually embraced this “snowball’s chance in hell” perception. It was time to create a marketing campaign that also leaned into their predicament embracing this against all odds attitude. The “Hockey the Hard Way” campaign finally acknowledged the Coyotes predicament from ownership problems, to playing hockey in the middle of the desert, to having to educate hockey fans in a non-traditional market. After years of trying to blend in, the “Hockey the Hard Way” campaign gave both the team and fan base a unique identity to buy into.