Marketing the National Hockey League
Harvard Business School
9 - 5 9 6 -059
Rev. December 28, 1995
Marketing The National Hockey League
In early August 1995 Gary Bettman, Commissioner of the NHL, Stephen Solomon, COO of the NHL, and Rick Dudley, COO of NHL Enterprises,1 met in their New York office to chart a strategy for marketing the NHL in 1995 and beyond. After a spectacular 1993-94 season, the NHL’s 1994-95 season had been somewhat mixed; the league had suffered a labor dispute and played an abbreviated season. But there had been important achievements. For the first time in over 20 years the NHL had a network television contract in the United States. Fan support for the shortened season had been surprisingly resilient with attendance averaging 95% for the league overall. In looking to the future, Gary Bettman proposed, Our goal is to take hockey to the next level. We have a great product. Hockey has been successful over the past 75 years. We’ve thrilled fans and provided financial returns for our owners. Unbelievably, we’ve accomplished this with little exposure. With the right exposure and support, hockey can grow its fan base phenomenally, creating value for our marketing partners, our owners, and our players. While everyone on the management team agreed that the goal was to grow the fan base, there were differing opinions on how to achieve that growth. Stephen Solomon was focused on television as the growth driver, while Rick Dudley was more concerned with achieving growth through nurturing a young, grassroots fan base.
Background of the NHL
The Game
Ice hockey is played with six players on each side: the object of the game is to put a round disk called a puck in the opponent 's net using L-shaped hockey sticks. Each team plays with three offensive players, two defenders, and a goaltender on the ice at one time. As in many contact sports, the players wear protective padding and helmets. The game is played in three periods of 20
1
The NHL was established as a not-for-profit
9 - 5 9 6 -059
Rev. December 28, 1995
Marketing The National Hockey League
In early August 1995 Gary Bettman, Commissioner of the NHL, Stephen Solomon, COO of the NHL, and Rick Dudley, COO of NHL Enterprises,1 met in their New York office to chart a strategy for marketing the NHL in 1995 and beyond. After a spectacular 1993-94 season, the NHL’s 1994-95 season had been somewhat mixed; the league had suffered a labor dispute and played an abbreviated season. But there had been important achievements. For the first time in over 20 years the NHL had a network television contract in the United States. Fan support for the shortened season had been surprisingly resilient with attendance averaging 95% for the league overall. In looking to the future, Gary Bettman proposed, Our goal is to take hockey to the next level. We have a great product. Hockey has been successful over the past 75 years. We’ve thrilled fans and provided financial returns for our owners. Unbelievably, we’ve accomplished this with little exposure. With the right exposure and support, hockey can grow its fan base phenomenally, creating value for our marketing partners, our owners, and our players. While everyone on the management team agreed that the goal was to grow the fan base, there were differing opinions on how to achieve that growth. Stephen Solomon was focused on television as the growth driver, while Rick Dudley was more concerned with achieving growth through nurturing a young, grassroots fan base.
Background of the NHL
The Game
Ice hockey is played with six players on each side: the object of the game is to put a round disk called a puck in the opponent 's net using L-shaped hockey sticks. Each team plays with three offensive players, two defenders, and a goaltender on the ice at one time. As in many contact sports, the players wear protective padding and helmets. The game is played in three periods of 20
1
The NHL was established as a not-for-profit