NBC Sports Group has selected Civic Entertainment Group to develop experiential marketing campaigns, facing off with a promotion around the programmer’s coverage of the 2013 National Hockey League Playoffs.
The relationship with Civic Entertainment Group, which was recently purchased by Seacrest Global Group, the investment arm of Seacrest's media holdings, will extend through NBC Olympics’ presentation of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
The NHL effort begins this week with NBC Sports Group working with Crumbs Bake Shop. As part of the initiative, NBC and CEG have created a limited edition set of “Stanley Cup Cupcakes.”
The "Because It's The Cup" campaign and its tagline, "Every Game, Every Night," which launches Tuesday, April 30 with a press conference in Madison Square Park in New York City, includes Crumbs Cupcakes depicting all 16 playoffs clubs to be sold at 65 Crumbs retail outlets across the country.
The specially “iced” cupcakes will also be distributed via a co-branded mobile vehicle touring markets home to NHL playoff squads. In addition, the Crumbs Cupcakes will be delivered to regional sports networks, sports radio stations, media and other key business partners to heat up awareness for pro hockey’s post-season.
Headquartered in New York City, Civic Entertainment Group’s client roster has included a host of programmers, including A+E Networks, CNN, Fox, HBO, Netflix, NFL and NBC Universal.
“Civic has proven to be a very effective partner. They have amazing buzz generating ideas, but even more importantly they have the ability to execute them,” said John Miller, chief marketing officer, NBC Sports Group and NBC Olympics. “We look forward using those ideas across the platforms and events of the NBC Sports Group.”
Noted CEG co-founders/CEOs David Cohn and Stuart Ruderfer: “Working in live sports programming – the quintessential in entertainment television -- tapping fan passion and driving ratings for the gold standard in sports TV is a dream assignment for us. We have enormous respect for the NBC Sports Group brand and are thrilled to be working with John and his team.”
