Background:
In Canada, Molson is known as the official beer of hockey and is famously linked to the NHL. With their most recent platform Everyone In, which aims to foster equality across both beer drinkers and Canadians as a whole, it was important to show that their commitment to athletes doesn’t stop at the male leagues. With a new sponsorship of the PWHL underway, we wanted to not only create awareness for the Molson brand, but for the female athletes who have long been underrepresented.

In order to give female athletes a platform, Molson made a sacrifice: they covered up their logo to give more prominence to the names of the players in the Toronto and Montreal PWHL teams. The product was not featured anywhere in the campaign—instead we set out to gain brand love amongst a Molson core audience (LDA+ hockey fans), as well as a new set of followers, specifically aiming to reach more of the female and Gen Z demographic.

Strategy:
Women’s hockey leagues have historically come and gone with little engagement. The formation and launch of the PWHL was a moment to cement women’s hockey as an exciting and meaningful sport - one worth rallying behind. We wanted to reach those who haven’t historically participated in women’s hockey (and further fuel existing fandom). Additionally, Molson’s ambitions were to introduce a new target (Gen Z) to their beer portfolio.

We knew that if we wanted to sponsor the PWHL, we needed it to be more than a logo placement - it needed to matter. While playing any sport, women with long hair tend to wear it tied in a ponytail. In hockey, the ponytail is often low (to allow for the helmet to fit). In this position, the ponytail often hides the name of the player. Molson decided that the most impactful way to sponsor the league was to find a way for players’ names to be seen.

Execution:
We developed new jerseys that featured the players’ names below their numbers (with the Molson logo at the top, obscured by their hair). In order to announce the updated jerseys, we released an impactful OLV, letting people know they could see the jerseys in action on March 8th—International Women’s Day. On this day, the Toronto and Montreal PWHL teams went head to head, and for the first time, their names were easily recognized.

The campaign was supported by OOH, social and earned media that further spread the word of the initiative and its importance. As See My Name was designed without any product feature, we were able to give the spotlight to the athletes. In turn, Molson, who proudly wore the title of “hidden sponsor of the PWHL” was met with an overwhelming positive response from existing and new audiences. By making a physical change that would impact the recognition and careers of underrepresented female athletes, people celebrated the brand for taking action.

Results:
Molson saw both an increase in sales within 3 weeks since the campaign launch, with retail volume exceeding by 5.8% nationally and +15.2% in Ontario. There has been an increase in brand love, with new consumers finding Molson both locally and internationally. Overall, the total earned impressions exceeded 2.9 billion with the majority being overwhelmingly positive responses, boosting brand perception and making it the most shared campaign in Molson history.

Incredible voices on social media organically began to applaud Molson for the initiative, including legendary female athletes such as Christine Sinclair and Billie Jean King, who reposted on their Instagram stories. This allowed us to reach a wider audience, including Gen Z and international communities who became new fans, seeing Molson as more than just their dad’s beer.