Born to Play
By Greg Mergens

Minnesota Hockey launches historic
player recruitment campaign

Nowhere in America is a single sport more closely associated with an individual state as hockey is to Minnesota. Sure, there are certain parts of the United States that are associated with specific amateur sports. Texas and Pennsylvania are known for their outstanding football programs. California and Florida produce a large number of baseball players. Indiana is basketball. With almost 60,000 players, coaches and referees registered with Minnesota Hockey, the governing body of amateur hockey in Minnesota, it blows them all away. In fact, Minnesota is ranked number one in hockey players per capita.

While most regions of the country would be happy with that accomplishment, Minnesota Hockey has decided to raise the bar to another level. For the first time in their 55-year history, Minnesota Hockey is actively recruiting people to get involved in the game that is so representative of the Land of 10,000 Lakes. In an unprecedented move of any amateur governing body in the state, or most of the country, Minnesota Hockey has launched a statewide advertising campaign aimed at growing the sport of hockey at all levels.

“Hockey is the state sport,” said Mark Jorgensen, the executive administrator of Minnesota Hockey. “One of the missions of Minnesota Hockey is to grow the sport of hockey in this state and we need to make sure that we are making an effort to get people involved.”
Minnesota Hockey is already recognized by other states as a model to develop amateur sports organizations. In most cases, launching a recruitment campaign would be the result of a decline in membership. But for Minnesota Hockey, numbers are stable. This is simply a proactive approach that just makes good business sense.

“There’s no question that hockey is woven into the culture in Minnesota,” said Jorgensen. “But we think that there are more people out there who could get involved and, as a result of our campaign, we hope new players get involved and ultimately, discover why hockey is such a great sport.”
The initial ad campaign features the tagline “We’re Born to Play,” and will target young families with children through newspaper, magazine and radio ads, as well as promotional posters. The posters are being provided to the 160 hockey associations in the state which will allow each individual city to recruit new participation from within their community.

“It’s Minnesota Hockey’s job to provide the hockey programs registered with us with the tools they need to help grow their programs,” explained Jorgensen. “The posters will allow them to target the places they think will be the most effective, and make it simple for people to understand how to get involved with their local hockey community.”

To develop a creative edge for the campaign, Minnesota Hockey worked with their marketing and sponsorship agent, TPG Sports, Inc., to begin to define parameters for the campaign. Minnesota Hockey eventually hired Periscope, a Minneapolis-based advertising agency to finalize the campaign and develop the creative. The results are humorous and energizing ads that should draw people’s attention to the sport.

“We want parents to understand that the idea is for kids to come out and just have some fun,” explained Scott Dahl, a Periscope copywriter who is working on the campaign.

Periscope has agreed to develop the creative for the campaign on a pro-bono basis.

“Our organization’s roots go deep into hockey,” explained Ursula Sheele, Periscope’s account manager on the campaign who sees the value in proving their services at no cost.

“We saw this as a great opportunity to do some creative work, and it’s for kids and their families, so it’s a great cause and we are happy to do it.”
One constant that will be referenced in all the different ad campaigns is the Minnesota Hockey web site, minnesotahockey.org. Minnesota Hockey is revamping their web site and a link will be available to each of the 160 different hockey associations across the state so people can find appropriate contacts to get involved in hockey. The links on the site however, are not just for people who want to get involved in youth hockey, but can also direct adult players to the appropriate links as well.
The idea of a campaign to increase membership has many people in the hockey community excited.

“We are really looking forward to the identity and awareness it will create in our community,” said Mike Steinhauser, president of Armstrong’s youth hockey program. “Our community is a first ring suburb in the Twin Cities with a lot of older homes, so we don’t attract a lot of the younger families like some of the newer developments. The posters will allow us to create interest by using them in the schools to entice new players to get involved in hockey.”

Another goal of the ad campaign will be a branding initiative that will identify Minnesota Hockey as a culture that people want to be involved with on all levels of the game whether they are a player, a referee or a treasurer of a hockey association.

“The hockey culture is really a family and we want to make it stronger,” explained Jorgensen. “Hockey is a fun and safe sport and we have nationally recognized programs in coaching and player development that we want parents to take advantage of. Everybody can play regardless of skill level.”
The benefits of being involved in the hockey community go beyond those associated with playing the game. Developing social skills and meeting new friends and families is a big part of the hockey life.

“Hockey is a fun community to live in,” stated Todd McGillivray, president of the Virginia Hockey Association. “My family and I have met so many people from around the state from our hockey travels. When we go to games and tournaments, we go as a family, and the friendships we have developed will last for the rest of our lives.”

The ad campaign itself is a testament to the culture of hockey in Minnesota. Normally a campaign of this magnitude would cost thousands of dollars, that is not the case however with this project.

“The more we get into this, the more we find more people connected to hockey in one way or another who are willing to donate their time,” said Jorgensen. “Another organization who helped with the campaign is Image Express, a local photography company who provided images for the posters.”

Bringing families together is only one of the benefits of kids being involved in sports or other activities. Studies have shown that kids involved in extra-curricular activities are better students and that they miss less time away from school. Having families involved in the hockey culture is also very important because all of the programs run by Minnesota Hockey are by volunteers.

“Our hockey association has almost 450 players,” stated Brian Stang, a member of the board of directors at the Highland Area Hockey Association. “Almost 97% of the families participate in volunteering in one form or another. I can’t think of another sport where the families are willing to commit that much time for the good of a cause.”

That’s the great part of the hockey culture, people are willing to put in the time for a great cause, and other people should know about how great it is to be a part of Minnesota Hockey.e

“Being involved in Minnesota Hockey is not just about writing a check just to be able to play the game,” said Jorgensen. “People who are involved are in it for the love of the game. It’s a bond for people and we are like family, and through this recruitment campaign we are hoping to add a lot of new members to our family.”