Kraft Hockeyville celebrates communities that embody the spirit of hockey, and in 2023, the focus was on boosting the organic social media presence during the celebrations in West Lorne, ON, and Sydney, NS.
Tasked by Kraft Heinz, NHL, and NHLPA, our objective was to increase content creation, engagement, and community involvement on social media platforms—particularly Facebook and Instagram.
Activation Agency: SDI Sports
Objectives
Increase Organic Social Media Content: Capture and share significantly more content during the community celebrations, leveraging high-performing formats such as Instagram Reels and Photo Carousels.
Boost Social Media Engagement: Achieve an engagement rate of at least 5% across the content shared.
Highlight Community Participation: Showcase the spirit of the local communities to drive shares and amplify the reach of the posts.
Real-Time Content Capture: Capture and post content in real-time, ensuring timely and relevant updates from the events.
Challenges
Tight Planning Timeline: Only 2 weeks to plan content capture and posting strategies.
High Volume of Activities: Multiple events required simultaneous coverage, making efficient content capture and real-time posting crucial.
Approval Bottlenecks: Real-time content needed approval from three partners—Kraft Heinz, NHL, and NHLPA.
NHL Content Restrictions: Getty Images held exclusive rights to in-arena content, necessitating collaboration with their photographers.
Strategy & Execution
Detailed Shot List Planning: We meticulously planned our content capture by aligning it with event schedules. Shot lists were crafted in advance, ensuring efficient use of time during the events.
Pre-Approval Process:We developed a deck showcasing the content we planned to capture, including pre-approved captions. This streamlined the on-site approval process.
Onsite Digital Content Creator: A dedicated content creator was present at both events to capture, edit, and post content in real-time, ensuring immediate updates.
Collaborative Digital Portal: A shared portal facilitated quick feedback and approvals from all partners, ensuring smooth communication and efficient content delivery.
Getty Collaboration:We worked closely with Getty photographers to access in-arena content, ensuring compliance with NHL restrictions.
Results
Content Creation Success: We increased the number of posts by 6x compared to previous years, showcasing all the key moments of the celebrations and capturing the community’s energy.
Exceeded Engagement Targets: The average engagement rate across all posts was 6.8%, surpassing the 5% target. The top-performing content reached an impressive 13.5% engagement rate.
Community Amplification: By highlighting community involvement, we generated over 250 shares, driving over 300,000 organic impressions and 60,000+ organic video views on Instagram Reels and Facebook videos.
Seamless Real-Time Posting: Our onsite content creator ensured that all content was posted in real-time, despite logistical challenges like unreliable internet. We leveraged cellular data when necessary, ensuring no delays in content delivery.
Client Feedback & Future Collaboration
The clients were extremely pleased with the outcomes, leading to our continued partnership as the full-time social media agency for Kraft Hockeyville in 2024. By exceeding expectations in engagement, content volume, and community sharing, we helped amplify the celebration of hockey’s spirit in Canada.