Powering the Maple Leafs Campaign
The Power Workers’ Union was looking for a way to boost engagement with its membership and the communities it serves, and increase awareness of who the Union is to the wider public. Our team worked to develop a partnership campaign with the Toronto Maple Leafs alumni that would help to maximize the Union’s visibility and reach, attract the interest of members and improve overall engagement in union initiatives and events. The campaign launched in the 2017/2018 hockey season and will continue until 2020.
Partnership
We established a partnership between the PWU and the Toronto Maple Leafs for current and upcoming hockey seasons. The partnership not only includes the presence of Toronto Maple Leafs alumni at PWU events, but includes PWU digital signage at every home game, use of the PWU logo on the ice, rights to the Toronto Maple Leafs logo for partnership recognition, and digital ads on the Toronto Maple Leafs website and mobile app. Since its inception, the partnership has significantly increased visibility of the Union, boosting member engagement at events and ramping up interest in the union’s communication initiatives.
Branding
Union Marketing was extended rights to create branding using the Toronto Maple Leafs and Power Workers’ Union logos. Creative images promoting the partnership were developed by our team and used on promotional products, social media posts, event signage, and the like. This significantly increases engagement in union contests, initiatives and events.
Events
A series of events were planned and held throughout the province, offering a free skate, lunch, hockey clinics (with Toronto Maple Leafs hockey clinicians), and a meet n’ greet with Toronto Maple Leafs alumni. Events also included the Toronto Maple Leafs Mobile Fan Zone, an interactive attraction for kids and families. Not only did these events allow attendees to connect with PWU executives and fellow members, it also allowed them the rare chance to meet the hockey heroes they grew up watching.
Contests
The partnership with the Toronto Maple Leafs allowed the PWU to give - as prizes to members - Toronto Maple Leafs and Powering the Maple Leafs giveaways; giveaways assisted in increasing member engagement across PWU Connects communications platforms, such as the Power Workers’ Union mobile app, union email and social media. As a result of this, members became better informed and the Union gained valuable feedback from its members, which it used to better serve them.
Social Media
A social media campaign was developed, highlighting Powering the Maple Leafs events, initiatives and contests. PWU members were encouraged to not only follow the campaign, but to engage online, sharing photos from past Powering the Maple Leafs events and initiatives using the associated campaign hashtag - @PoweringTheMapleLeafs. In addition to this, the PWU’s events were publicized on the Toronto Maple Leafs’ social media accounts, increasing public awareness of the Union.
Result
The Powering the Maple Leafs campaign was able to drastically increase member participation and engagement at events, improve the union’s follower base online and increase use of its communication platforms, leading to a more informed, connected membership. Through branding of the PWU as a Toronto Maple Leafs partner at games and events, the campaign was also able to increase public awareness of the Union.
