The Dunkin’ restaurant brand has signed a multi-year extension to its position as the Official US Coffee, Donut and Breakfast Sandwich of the NHL.
Under the deal, Dunkin’ will retain a significant presence across the NHL’s broadcast and digital platforms in the US.
It will continue to feature prominently at major NHL events, such as the NHL Winter Classic, NHL All-Star Weekend and NHL Stadium Series through advertising, in-arena signage and Jumbotron displays, as well as on-site activations.
Dunkin’ also maintains a multi-million dollar partnership with broadcaster NBC Sports for custom in-game features and dasherboard visibility, as well as advertising across broadcast, digital and social media channels throughout the NHL season.
Dunkin’s sports marketing agency of record, Fenway Sports Management, negotiated the partnership. Fenway Sports Management is a sister company to the Boston Red Sox, Liverpool FC, and the New England Sports Network within the Fenway Sports Group portfolio.
Dunkin’ and the NHL first teamed up for a corporate strategic alliance at the start of 2017, marking Dunkin’s first-ever national sports league partnership.
It has since buttressed the alignment with a national ad campaign featuring Boston right wing David Pastrnak airing frequently during NBC’s coverage of this year’s NHL playoff.
Dunkin’ also has a series of club-level alignments, including with prominent US NHL teams, including the newest additions to the Dunkin’ NHL portfolio: the Carolina Hurricanes and Vegas Golden Knights.
“Dunkin’ is a powerful brand and a tremendous partner that is synonymous with hockey at all levels,” said Evin Dobson, NHL group vice president of partnership marketing.
The NHL holds a similar official coffee alignment in Canada with Toronto-based chain Tim Hortons.