PPG recently announced that it has reached a multiyear corporate marketing agreement with the National Hockey League to make PPG paint brands the Official Paint of the NHL in the United States and Canada. Financial details and terms were not disclosed.
The NHL and PPG announced the agreement to coincide with the Feb. 18 outdoor game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers at Heinz field, in PPG’s hometown of Pittsburgh. The outdoor game was part of the 2017 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series.
The marketing pact builds on PPG’s 20-year naming-rights agreement with the Penguins for Pittsburgh’s multipurpose arena, PPG Paints Arena. PPG also is the Official Paint Supplier of the Penguins.
“We are excited to deepen our relationship with the National Hockey League and the millions of home-improvement consumers and paint professionals who follow their favorite NHL teams in the U.S. and Canada,” said Bryan Iams, PPG vice president, corporate and government affairs. “The loyal fan base of the NHL aligns with the loyal base of customers for PPG products. This latest PPG brand investment broadens our ability to showcase our product lines that help consumers protect and beautify their world, including the PPG Paints, Glidden and Olympic brands, and the Sico and Dulux brands in Canada.”
PPG also will receive the opportunity to integrate its paint brands into select NHL premier events. In addition to the NHL Stadium Series at Heinz Field, PPG and its products will be featured at future NHL Stadium Series games and the annual NHL Winter Classic game. To that end, TV and venue audiences will see PPG branding on and around the ice adorning dasher boards, and off the ice in programs, scoreboard features and event-related activities.
“We’re honored that PPG has extended its commitment to the sport of hockey through a partnership with the National Hockey League,” said Keith Wachtel, NHL executive vice president of global partnerships and chief revenue officer. “Partnering with best-in-class paint brands that have an extensive footprint at retail will extend our reach to millions of home-improvement consumers across North America.”
As part of the agreement, PPG will have rights to use NHL marks and logos on PPG paint-product packaging, on store point-of-purchase displays, in contests and promotions and through social media and digital marketing in the United States and Canada. For hockey fans, PPG is planning a variety of engagement initiatives, including coupons and promotions for its paint products. The company also will participate in an NHL Legacy project through the Colorful Communities initiative, a PPG program that aims to enhance, protect and beautify the neighborhoods where the company operates.
PPG’s paint products and brands already have a presence throughout professional hockey. PPG paints and coatings protect and beautify hockey arenas from Los Angeles to Pittsburgh and across Canada, and they are found on hockey sticks and helmets. PPG materials even help to power the Zamboni ice-resurfacing machine.
The company’s products also have a presence in PPG Paints Arena, home of the Pittsburgh Penguins. PPG consulted with the Penguins as the team chose paint colors used throughout the arena when it was being built, and the company’s paint products are used in both decorative and protective applications throughout the arena. PPG products also have a presence at Pittsburgh’s other professional sports venues – Heinz Field and PNC Park – in both decorative and protective applications.
