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If brand equity matters, where is the brand strategy? A look at Canadian hockey teams in the NHL

2008; Inderscience Publishers; Volume: 5; Issue: 1/2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1504/ijsmm.2009.021757

1740-2808

André Richelieu, Frank Pons,

Sport and Mega-Event Impacts

This paper examines the strategies and actions Canadian professional hockey teams implement in order to build and exploit their brand. Data were collected during one-on-one interviews with vice presidents and marketing directors of four teams: the Montreal Canadiens, the Ottawa Senators, the Toronto Maple Leafs (TML) and the Vancouver Canucks. Our results, based on content analysis, show that Canadian teams, while aware of the importance of branding, do not have a formal brand strategy, with the exception of the TML. Consequently, their marketing actions do not contribute in building, leveraging and ensuring coherence of their team's brand. Furthermore, the NHL does not help its teams by centralising teams' branding.