SCA’s Wild Promotion Wows Hockey Fans

St.Paul, MN - What do boating and hockey have in common? Both are favorite pastimes in Minnesota, “Land of 10,000 Lakes.” SCA’s “Pick-a-Spot” promotion is helping Minnesota Wild hockey fans combine these two sports during the 2002 season — and helping the Wild boost interest in its team.

Pick-a-Spot, a new SCA promotion for hockey, generates excitement by letting the participating fan choose the spot from
where he or she shoots. The contestant picks any spot near the first goal and shoots. If the contestant scores, he or she turns around and shoots for the opposite goal from the same spot. Both attempts
must go through SCA’s template, a portable fiberglass target measuring 5” by 2”. Two for two nets the grand prize - and in this contest, the lucky winner scores a Genmar boat with a Manufacturer’s Value of $20,000.

“It’s just an awesome gift,” says Kelly Flinn, a Wild representative. The boat, on display near the Wild’s ticket booth, attracts lots of attention from fans. And since SCA is underwriting it, it’s a gift the Wild can enjoy giving.

The promotion got off to an exciting start. During its October 15th debut, the Wild almost had a winner. Fan Douglas Lee was randomly chosen from the crowd for a chance at the prize. Although a hockey buff, Lee didn’t have much actual experience on the ice himself, Flinn reports. “He sat behind the stage to kind of practice holding the hockey stick,” she says.

But Lee, who chose to shoot just inches away from the goal, must have been a natural. He made his first shot and just narrowly missed his second. Although he left without the boat, he went home with a Lund coat as a consolation prize.

“Sometimes it can be hard to keep people’s attention during a promotion. But for this one, everybody was standing and cheering,” says Flinn.
The Wild also worked to build enthusiasm prior to the promotion, according to Flinn. Fans were asked to send in hockey questions to a local radio station, with the most interesting qualifying its author to be a “prize partner” — if the fan on the ice scored, the listener won a matching prize.
“That aspect helps us reach fans who can’t get in to see the game,” says Flinn, noting that the questions were read and answered during the
pre-game show.

 “We’re really happy. It’s nice to find someone to work with who can consistently get it done.”
Kelly Flinn
Wild Representative
Pick-a-Spot, which will be held three more times during the season, worked well to increase fans interest, according to Flinn. “It was a great contest because people really liked it. It’s difficult to win, but not impossible, and the fact that somebody almost won the very first time helps to build excitement.”

For Flinn, perhaps the best part was working with SCA . “Everything was done really fast — we finalized the promotion just four days before we bought coverage, and just five days before we ran it,” she says. “We’re really happy. It’s nice to find someone to work with who can consistently get it done.”