Canada’s largest pizza chain, Boston Pizza, is doubling down on a hockey-related marketing effort it launched prior to the NHL playoffs.

With the Edmonton Oilers the only Canadian team left in the playoffs, Boston Pizza is showing its support by changing its brand colors from blue and red to orange and blue across social, web, TV, print, and on OOH billboards that read, “Orange is the New Red, Bring it Home Edmonton.” 

The overall marketing campaign was first launched in April. Boston Pizza—referred to, at times, as just “BP”—saw an opportunity to unite Canada around a shared goal: to bring the Stanley Cup, the NHL’s treasured championship trophy—home. It’s been over 30 years since any of Canada’s NHL teams have won the cup.

Related: Canadian Pizza Chain Just Wants Hockey Fans To Get Along This Spring

To ensure the whole country knows the score when it comes to ending Canada’s 30-year Stanley Cup drought, BP transformed billboards in cities across Canada into real-time scoreboards. The billboards work to dynamically update the score during each game with real time updates on how Canada’s final team, Edmonton, is faring in the final round. 

While the idea of supporting another team has been divisive for some hockey fans, many Canadians have joined in to support the nation’s final contender in the playoffs. One recent poll from Angus Reid found that two thirds of Canadians are willing to get behind the only remaining Canadian team.

“Since the beginning of the playoffs, we’ve been encouraging Canadians to support all our teams in hopes of bringing home the Cup for the first time in over 30 years,” said James Kawalecki, vice president of marketing at Boston Pizza International. “Edmonton is ‘Canada’s hope’ and we’ve come this far and have only one round to go, so again, we’re calling for everyone to cheer on Edmonton. If you can’t watch a game at BP, you can see the score on one of our real-time score billboards.” 

Previous initiatives in the campaign have included a national TV campaign, reactive OOH, contextual social, digital, and OOH, and PR initiatives like the rage room when Toronto was eliminated in round one. 

Unfortunately for BP and Canadian hockey fans, the Oilers currently trail the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Finals, 3-1. Game 5 is slated for tonight, Tuesday, June 18, in Miami.

Marketing