Capitals 50th Anniversary
The 7th Annual Awards
- Best Integrated Campaign
ABOUT THIS ENTRY
The Washington Capitals Anniversary season will last through out the 2024-25 season and honors the storied past. The season will pay tribute to the past, present and future players of the Capitals franchise, several special moments and Capitals fans across the world.
In conjunction with the 50th anniversary, the team also debuted a special brand mantra - A Legacy in ALL CAPS. The tagline represented 50 years of not taking the Capitals legacy lightly, through unwavering commitment and dedication representing the city that beats at the heart of the nation. The Capitals are proud of the past and focused on the future, with history yet to come. A Legacy in ALL CAPS means the Capitals are determined, principled and community minded, representing 50 years of unwavering commitment and dedication.
How does this represent "Excellence in Engagement"?
Often times brands, teams and league are challenged with the question of how to best celebrate an anniversary or milestone - and to make people care about the anniversary. From what we have acheived this year, the results are outstanding in how the integrated nature of the campaign has had fans across the globe embrace 50 season of the Capitals. There is a high awareness it's the anniversary in season and that is due to the holistic efforts of the campaign. The versality of the brand logo and creative identity has translated so well to so many applications. Whether through digital media, events or in-game experiences, the 50th anniversary has engaged so many.
Objective
The goal was to create a season-long brand campaign that connected the past to the present through events, promotions, digital, graphics, signage, fan engagement. Our goal was to fifty-fi everything we did, creating a memorable season for fans, players, alumni, and employees. The vibe was NEW-STOLGIC: blending of new and nostalgic to create memories and brand connection. The campaign paid homage to the past while using modern storytelling techniques. The 50th anniversary gave us a chance to offer something fresh to Capitals fans outside of the normal seasonality. Ultimately, the goal was to drive revenue through ticket sales, retail and partnership sales.
Strategy & Execution
The NEW-STOLGIC vibe was woven through modern marketing techniques:
The Caps celebrated the five eras of Capitals Hockey during “Era Nights” which featured a pregame ceremony with alumni, specialty giveaways, in-game features, differing in-game look based on the eras colors and theme, and other nods.
To fifty-fi our promotional calendar, all 20 all-arena giveaways had 50th logos and gift with purchase packages including a pennant series and a bobblehead set, featuring three duo bobbleheads of Caps legends.
The Capitals hosted numerous events, pop ups and fan activations such as installation at Palmer Alley, Trophy Showcase with the Hockey Hall of Fame, ice sculptures, The 50th Hockey Holidays Lounge and Winter at the Wharf.
As part of the benefits of being STH, original season ticket members had boxes delivered by players. STHs also had special access to chalk talks with alumni and other events.
The Pillars of content included storytelling the 5 eras, reliving the top 50 moments in team’s history, honoring the top 50 players and celebrating our fans and STH holders.
Partners embraced the 50th anniversary through DEvils Backbone Golden Capit-ALE, custom wine bottles, custom bikes and embracing 50th creative.
Organizations
- Fan Brandz
Links
Credits
Amanda Tischler
SVP, Capitals Marketing
Washington Capitals
Frnak O'Brien
VP, Capitals Marketing
Washington Capitals
Hunter Lochmann
CMO
Monumental Sports
erica sandidge
Senior Manager, Marketing
Washington Capitals
Celebrate in NYC
Join us for the 7th Annual Hashtag Sports Awards™ on the evening of June 24, 2025 as we celebrate finalists and reveal the winners of this year's awards live during the show.
