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With budgetary restrictions set by the NHL the Phoenix Coyotes haven't been able to hire Don Draper to craft ads for them. This is really a shame because smaller market teams like the Coyotes need great marketing to help grow the fan base. Even with a limited marketing budget the Yotes have managed to come up with some great TV spots and slogans. Last year's campaign of "Hockey The Hard Way" instantly comes to mind because of the way it resonated with fans.
Yesterday it was announced that the Phoenix Coyotes will be partnering with ANDERSON Advertising & Public Relations as their agency of record. It makes sense that the Desert Dogs may want a new marketing strategy for a potential new owner, and the fact they went local is probably a sign that they want people who understand the people of Arizona. While we await the new campaign lets take a look back at some of the campaigns of the past.
The Phoenix Coyotes 2007-08 season featured a campaign with a snowman hand puppet named Pierre. The ads were interesting to say the least. The team actually won the NHL's Best Member Club Marketing Campaign award for the campaign, although they wanted to have tried something new the following seasons.
Pierre & Wayne Gretzky:
The ads continued into the 2008-09 season, and probably start getting a little old. Also nobody really seems happy about working with a puppet.
We may have found the real reason that Kyle Turris wanted to be traded. He was sad that the team retired Pierre:
Last season the ad campaign was "Hockey The Hard Way." It played of the fact that nobody expected the team to be successful do to off ice problems but they continued to succeed anyways. This is probably my favorite commercial and I still get chills when I watch it.
Anderson actually does have some experience working with the Coyotes. When working with Desert Schools Federal Credit Union they released an ad featuring Shane Doan to promote their Coyotes Checking.