“I am a hockey fan, I am very happy that Gordo St. John and his terrible ideas are fictional, but yes, it’s a dream to have Gretzky talk about you in an interview, even if it’s all pretend,” Harbour added.
The execution
Done entirely internally, and creatively led by Tyler Lassiter, the full-length spot will run across WBD’s portfolio and in paid placements across social, digital, CTV and linear. In addition, a finals-specific version will launch closer to the championships.
“Since this is the first year we’ve had the Stanley Cup [finals], the company has really rallied around this as an effort,” Ed Romaine, svp and head of marketing and brand development at WBD Sports, told Adweek.
That also involves partnerships across WBD’s portfolio, including a CNN takeover, OOH campaigns and Food Network spots.
“I’m excited that everyone was together and provided support to make sure it felt like a marquee event for the company,” Romaine added.
The concept for Gordo St. John was created last season, and WBD shot footage with players during the NHL player media tour in the offseason, which then became the teaser.
“We were trying to come up with something that was creative and innovative. David Harbour has a great resonance universally because of Stranger Things,” said Romaine. “We wanted to thrill and get core fans excited, but also make the game approachable and funny to folks that are more casual so they feel like they can’t miss out.”
The NHL’s marketing team described WBD as “phenomenal partners,” and the two groups have been in collaboration since early in the process.
“They’ve been very open to our input and feedback, and we as a league value all of our rights holders and the talent and input that they bring,” Casey Hall, the league’s svp of marketing and consumer insights, told Adweek. “But we also enjoy having a seat at the table and being part of those conversations so that we can coordinate and plan what we at the league are going to do so that we’re complementary to each other.”
A heavy social push
Warner Bros. Discovery learned last year that social marketing can play a huge role in growing fans of the game and leaned into digital efforts to get the Gordo St. John campaign on a wide radar.