Why This Canadian Whisky Celebrated Community with a Windsor-Detroit Rivalry Hockey Match
When it comes to hockey rivalries, they’re a dime a dozen. Bruins and Leafs. Devils and Ranger. Panthers and Lightning… the list goes on and on.
However, one of the more fun rivalries is actually between a city with an NHL team and a city without - in this case, Detroit and Windsor. Connected by a tunnel which serves as a point of border crossing between the US and Canada, the two cities absolutely have an intertwined relationship. And as part of this, Windsor-based whisky brand J.P. Wiser’s is actually the official Canadian whisky of the Detroit Red Wings.
So, to celebrate this partnership, embrace the brand spirit of ‘Wisely Done’, and celebrate the power of community in sports, it only felt right to create an epic hockey game between a team from Windsor, and a team from Detroit.
Created in partnership with Ogilvy Canada, the pair launched the first-ever J.P. Wiser’s Cup, which saw two hand-selected community teams (one from each city) throw down at the Little Caesars Arena in a fun but competitive hockey game. Coached by the beloved Danny Dekeyser and hall of famer Larry Murphy, the game was more than just a piece of advertising, creating a memorable experience for everyone involved, as well as some great clips, highlights, and, naturally, promotional opportunities for the brand itself.
To learn more about just what it took to bring this to life, LBB’s Jordan Won Neufeldt sat down for a chat with Ogilvy Canada senior copywriter Andrew Erskine, and J.P. Wiser’s’ senior brand manager, Cory Owens, for a chat.
LBB> This campaign represents quite an ambitious set of partnerships and setups! As such, what was the brief, and how did this all get started?
Cory> The brief was largely focused on growing awareness for J.P. Wiser’s in the state of Michigan, specifically within metro Detroit. We’ve been making in-roads over the past two years in growing the brand within Michigan, and this activation meant taking that progress to the next level by offering a once-in-a-lifetime experience for people who truly embody the spirit of J.P. Wiser’s.
Ogilvy Canada has been a partner on the J.P. Wiser’s brand over the past three years, and has done some great campaign work over those years. So, it made sense to continue our journey with Ogilvy by our side as we took the brand south of the border.
Andrew> J.P. Wiser’s is the official Canadian whisky of the Detroit Red Wings, so the brief was equally meant to celebrate that relationship. The partnership itself makes a lot of sense, with J.P. Wiser’s being made in Windsor – right across the river from Detroit. So from that, it was all about doing something that brought Windsor and Detroit together.
LBB> In terms of creative approach, why was a hockey game something that you wanted to do? And specifically, why was it the right way to celebrate both the power of community, and the Detroit-Windsor rivalry?
Andrew> It felt right to hold a hockey game to celebrate J.P. Wiser’s partnership with an iconic hockey team. But making it about rec league teams from Detroit and Windsor gave meaning to the narrative. Even though there’s a border between them, Windsor and Detroit have a real connection, and we wanted to amplify that.
It was also important to us to pick teams that had interesting stories or reasons for playing hockey together, beyond just blowing off some steam. In other words, teams that represented what it means to be ‘Wisely Done’.
Finally, on top of that, we just wanted to give some deserving people the game of their lives!
LBB> Building on that, what made now the right time to do this?
Cory> We spread our advertising efforts in Michigan throughout the year, but it made sense to host the Wiser’s Cup around the same time the Detroit Red Wings were making a push to be part of the 2024 playoffs.
In addition, most recreational hockey leagues tend to wrap up their seasons at this time of year, so it was the perfect cherry on top to celebrate these teams who have been playing all Winter.
LBB> Tell us more about the teams - how did they get selected, and what made them the perfect embodiments of the brand’s spirit, 'Wisely Done’?
Cory> The teams were selected through grassroots outreach. It really consisted of contacting recreational hockey leagues in the Detroit and Windsor area. ‘Wisely Done’ is all about impressing yourself over anyone else. It’s about being unwavering in who you are without feeling the need to get approval from others. It’s about being resolute, determined and never taking shortcuts or the easy way out.
To this end, the ‘Flyin’ Hawaiians’ from Detroit are the only co-ed team in their league. Meanwhile, the ‘Pops and Tots’ are a team of father-son pairs who have been playing the game together for years. They were both perfect to take part in the Wiser’s Cup.
LBB> Creatively, how does one plan for something like this, and how does the process compare to a more traditional piece of work, like a spot or OOH?
Andrew> We were lucky enough to have access to the main ice of Little Caesars Arena, so we knew from the start that we had the perfect location. From there, it was all about vetting our teams, designing and producing jerseys, building out signage within the arena, and then making sure we captured everything. So while it wasn’t exactly the same as working on a spot or OOH, there were a ton of similarities – we cast, we designed the look and feel, and we filmed it.
Beyond that, this kind of approach really makes our audience the hero of our campaign, and shows the emotional benefits that a brand can offer, as opposed to just telling people who we are and what we stand for.
LBB> Let’s talk about the coaches! How did you get Larry Murphy and Danny Dekeyser involved?
Andrew> Larry Murphy and Danny Dekeyser were both gracious enough to help us out as Red Wings Alumni. It was awesome how into the game they both got, which you get a glimpse of in the video. They’re still fiery competitors!
LBB> And how did the game actually go? Do you have any anecdotes from the event?
Andrew> The game was really exciting! You could tell both teams were amped up. Our Detroit team jumped out to a big lead, but the guys from Windsor stormed back to take it by a goal in the final two minutes of the game.
One thing that really stuck with me was hearing a player step on the ice and yell ‘I can’t believe we’re here!’. It was also cool to see everyone hanging out after, mixing and mingling, chatting with Larry and Danny, and just being brought together by hockey and a glass of whisky.
Cory> The game couldn’t have gone better. Both teams, including their friends and family, had a blast, and the Detroit Red Wings alumni coaches were engaged from start to finish. You could really see their competitiveness come out.
More importantly, everyone came together after the game and shared a glass of J.P. Wiser’s while reliving the game.
LBB> The accompanying video is also super fun! How did it come to life?
Andrew> We just made sure to capture as much as possible – setup, arrival, getting ready, the game itself, and the post-game mixer. We even shot a bunch of footage of downtown Detroit and Windsor ourselves. Our editor, Tom Mountain at Upstate, did a great job of putting it all together.
LBB> As a whole, what challenges came with this project, and how did you overcome them?
Andrew> The biggest challenge was probably the logistics of finding two teams and getting them all to Little Caesars Arena at the same time. Like I said, even though it was different than a lot of the projects we normally work on, there were lots of similarities. And everyone who worked on it really went above and beyond to make it happen.
LBB> What lessons have you learned in the making of this campaign?
Andrew> We learned a lot about what it takes to throw a large-scale event, and we’re looking forward to applying everything we learned next year.
We also got to see first-hand how meaningful something like this can be for the people involved.
Cory> The biggest lesson is it needs to come back next year! This was year number one of the Wiser’s Cup, and you never really know what to expect. However, the feedback has been extremely positive to the point where we need to start planning for 2025!
LBB> Finally, has working on this reminded you of the power of community in sport?
Andrew> Totally. Even rivals can gather together at centre ice to shake hands after a hard-fought game. Sports have an uncanny ability to focus us on what we have in common, instead of what divides us.
Cory> Community in sport is everything. There aren’t many events or activities that can bring a community together like sport… especially from two different countries. The communities in Detroit and Windsor are incredibly proud of where they come from - it’s truly a spirit and pride that can’t be matched. You could tell these players were not only playing for their teams, but for their communities.
