By Don Urquhart, Times Chronicle
I was surprised the other day when I received the latest e-news update from the Town of Osoyoos.
The update was encouraging the town to get behind the Kraft Hockeyville 2023 contest.
After diving into the site I can see that it must be a successful program for Kraft because it’s been running since 2006, even through the pandemic. I had never actually heard of it, but then again I’m not a hockey parent.
Clearly the Kraft Heinz Company’s marketing team put a lot of thought into this whole campaign including into leveraging a dedicated website and more importantly, social media.
A whole slew of professional advertising collaterals described as “Rally Tools” are provided – images for social networks, for newspapers, etc. All of course have Kraft plastered all over them.
“Whether you want to show your support on Facebook or Twitter, or need some decoration to host a voting party, these tools could prove to be a game changer in helping your community become the next Kraft Hockeyville!” the website implores.
The basic idea is that community members put up nomination stories, share them (and Kraft’s branding along with it) on social media, upload photos of the local arena, add notes, react with emojis – all of which accumulate rally points.
You don’t have to actually buy any Kraft or Heinz products, but you do become a tool of branding for them.
To be sure the prizes are nothing to sniff at. The Grand Prize winning community receives $250,000 in arena upgrades and the opportunity to host an NHL Pre-Season hockey game.
And three second place communities will each win $25,000 in arena upgrades.
The grand prize I will admit, is pretty cool.
Overall I still can’t help but come away from this with a bad taste in my mouth. The unabashed commercial branding bombardment that is clearly aimed at the company’s market share and bottom line prerogatives is one thing.
The pitting of community against community is also somewhat distasteful.
Clearly this is a worthwhile marketing approach as it seems to often be employed. Witness this past summer’s small community contest that CBC ran.
Having said all this, it would be hard to deny the important financial need it helps fulfill – at least for the winners – in small communities across the country.
The commonalities of small towns from coast to coast to coast all revolve around strapped financial circumstances.
I just wish wealthy corporations like the Kraft Heinz megalith were a bit more philanthropic in their support rather than feeling the need to dress up their crude commercial desires in a “contest” revolving around our national game.
At the end of the day it’s really only a small part of our souls that we are selling by participating.
And hey, wouldn’t it be nice to have that windfall to help pay for the new ice making equipment at Sun Bowl Arena?
