Synopsis 

#TapeOutHate, Budweiser Canada and the Hockey Diversity Alliance’s fearless campaign, ignited a movement to eradicate racism in hockey, both on and off the ice. 

Racism is a shameful blight in Hockey’s history. From players and coaches perpetuating racial slurs, to systemic barriers that prevented minorities from equal representation at all amateur and professional levels, “Canada’s Game” was sadly never really for people of color.

#TapeOutHate drew inspiration from the real personal experiences of HDA members -- professional hockey players -- who dealt with racial discrimination their entire lives, and continue to grapple with it today. The campaign spotlighted these experiences, uncensored, in a powerful two-minute video, and called on fans to take action and stand in solidarity against racism in the world of hockey and beyond. 

Inciting action beyond social conversation, the campaign gave allies a physical symbol of solidarity they can carry with them onto the ice, at rinks, and in their homes. A roll of hockey tape bearing words of support from fans and players was made available for purchase online and at Canadian Tire (a prominent national sports retailer) stores across Canada with one dollar from every roll going towards the HDA and its mission.

Context 

The Hockey Diversity Alliance (HDA) was formed by seven current and former NHL players in the wake of the George Floyd murder and the resurgence of Black Lives Matter in 2020 with the goal of eradicating racism and intolerance in hockey. 

From day one, the HDA pushed for a more active stance to promote inclusion in hockey - a sport where only 5.7% of players are BIPOC. Unfortunately, the HDA’s pleas were not met with much responsiveness.

As part of a sweeping brand commitment to use its sports platform to make hockey more inclusive, Budweiser partnered with the HDA. We set out with the objective of eradicating racism in the game by striking at the heart of the problem: the toxic culture that silenced all the voices speaking out against racism on the ice, in locker rooms and in the stands. 

Idea

#TapeOutHate is a concise, decisive call to arms for everyone who plays, coaches or is a fan of hockey to do their part in putting an end to the hate that tarnishes the sport we all love. 

The idea was born out of the game itself, taking the same roll of tape used to protect hockey sticks from damage and repurposing it to protect hockey’s BIPOC minority from hate, symbolically through words of support, but also literally using the proceeds from sales of special edition tape. 

Rolls of tape with words of defiance and declarations of allyship became the catalyst for honest conversation, sparking a massive movement for real change in the game. When the film was released, bearing the raw, uncensored realities BIPOC players face, it propelled thousands of fans into action, taking a stand that would propel #TapeOutHate beeyond hockey and into other pro sports. 

Strategy 

Budweiser & the HDA understood that in order to dismantle racism, we had to first strike at the culture of silence and inaction that defined professional hockey. 

Dealing with the ugliness of hate presented us with a choice: speak in platitudes and foster pleasant, yet non-committal lip service, or lean into the shocking reality we were dealing with. The first option was politically correct, and would’ve been more in line with other corporate sponsors’ response. 

So we went all in on exposing racism in the game, uncensored. We did this very deliberately to shock fans and force them to snap out of their passive acceptance. As we instigated outrage, we simultaneously created the means to channel it constructively with our exclusive hockey tape and the stir we were causing on social media with these stories, inviting fans to share, and support. 

Execution 

We set in motion a campaign designed to shine a spotlight on the issue and give fans and players a tool to drive change. At the heart of this campaign was a powerful two-minute film exposing hockey fans to the stark reality of racism in the game today. The video was shared on social media by current and former NHL players, media outlets, influencers and hockey fans.  

During Hockey Night in Canada on January 8th, #TapeOutHate was featured as part of a broadcast integration that included the airing of a :60s version of the spot, player interviews as well as the #TapeOutHate hockey tape featured during player warm-ups.

Results 

#TapeOutHate broke hockey’s toxic culture and gave both players and fans a powerful tool to express themselves and take a stand. In only two weeks, it surpassed all benchmarks, and all past brand campaigns across Labatt. 

The response to the campaign was incredible; #TapeOutHate trended organically on Twitter and generated more than 350 million impressions in under 2 weeks. 

Over 2,000 rolls of hockey tape sold out online within 6 hours of the launch. A second batch of 1,500 rolls was released within 48 hours and sold out that same day. 10,000 more hit Canada’s largest sports retailer and sold out within days. In addition to the tape, fans supported by purchasing merchandise from the HDA’s website, generating $200K+ of unplanned funds in two weeks.