Kraft Hockeyville Reclaims Sponsorship Award

Kraft Hockeyville reclaimed its title as Best of Show at the 6th annual Sponsorship Marketing Awards presented during the Sponsorship Marketing Council of Canada's annual conference in Toronto on Tuesday. Kraft also won in 2007 for an earlier version of its Hockeyville promotion.

"We received a record number of SMA entries from across Canada, making this our most competitive year ever," said Dana Gladstone, Vice President, Group Account Director with MacLaren Momentum, and this year's Chair of Judging. "To stand out, entrants really had to present a clear and convincing case demonstrating a direct match between stated objectives and outcomes."

Here's Kraft's Promotions Manager dropping the puck on the 2009 Hockeyville program.

For a sample of the video submissions Hockeyville has garnered, visit the YouTube microsite. Here's the winner's announcement straight from NHL commish, Gary Bettman:

From the SMA's, here's a breakdown of the results from the Kraft Hockeyville promotion:

The success of Kraft Hockeyville rests on an ability to strike a deep chord with Canadians, all the while keeping the concept fresh and delivering great results over four years. The program launched in 2006 as a grassroots competition to find the place where hockey lives in Canada, bringing together Kraft Canada, the CBC, the NHL and the NHL Players Association.

As title sponsor, Kraft's objectives are to increase brand loyalty, showcase community responsibility and create retail excitement that drives sales. This was achieved through an unprecedented association with Hockey Night in Canada, along with dramatic in-store and community effort - for example, bringing some of the world's best hockey players to local arenas.

To enter, people have to submit a 500-word essay plus photos in favour of their community. Salmon River, Nova Scotia (2006); North Bay, Ontario (2007); Roberval, Quebec (2008); and Terrace, British Columbia (2009) has each claimed the Kraft Hockeyville title.

Over the life of the program, Hockeyville has gone from strength to strength, with a 360° integration that engages consumers, customers and communities, and amplifies Kraft's brands to deliver superior business results year after year.

Kraft Hockeyville 2009 attracted 7,183 entries and 481 community profiles. The final ballot beat all previous records, with 9.3 million votes cast. Other impact has been just as impressive: