The New Jersey Devils have been locked into NHL marketing campaigns for a while now. They have dynamic young players that represent the different countries that the league is trying to market to. Jack and Luke Hughes obviously cover the growth of the sport in the United States, and they were even joined by brother Quinn Hughes on the cover of the latest EA Sports video game. Nico Hischier is the team's captain, has been playing extremely well this year, and represents one of the best players from Switzerland. Jesper Bratt is expected to have a big role on Team Sweden at the 4 Nations Faceoff. All these young players are expected to be sought after by marketers, especially Jack Hughes who is quickly growing into one of the most popular players in the game.
A surprising member of the New Jersey Devils was featured in the latest ad from the NHL. The league has been trying to appeal to bigger audiences by using humor in their ads, and it's been working as most of them are going viral. The latest showcases goalies, and they tapped Jacob Markstrom for his own lines.
The NHL’s newest ad, targeting goaltenders with tips.
— Anthony Pellegrino (@Pellegrinoap50) December 12, 2024
They killed this again: pic.twitter.com/13uWlvcVn8
Who doesn't love a double entendre? The NHL used goalies to get into the "tipping debate." There have been dozens of news articles talking about the impact of tipping culture on the United States and why more and more businesses are relying on tips to supplement income for its workers. It even got into politics, as both major U.S. candidates talked about removing taxes from tips as a part of their campaign plan.
Here, the NHL isn't talking about that kind of tipping. They are talking about tipped pucks getting passed goaltenders. The add features goalies like Juuse Saros, Jake Oettinger, and Jeremy Swayman. Markstrom is in the middle of the ad, and he makes a good point.
"Sometimes, all they did was stand there."Jacob Markstrom in latest NHL commercial
We did not find it at all a sign of things to come that Brady Tkachuk was the guy they chose to feature in the Devils clip. Definitely not a prediction or premonition or anything like that. Definitely just a coincidence.
It's great to see Devils players being featured in ads like this, and it's even better that the NHL has found a real way to reach new audiences with its marketing campaign. This is a win-win for everyone involved.