Madison Capitols “That’s Junior Hockey”

The United States Hockey Team was launching a franchise in Madison, Wisconsin. Madison was already established as an excellent hockey market, with the six-time National Champion University of Wisconsin Badgers playing down the road.  Our challenge was two-fold, we had to first get people excited about junior hockey specifically, and secondly, we had to get them excited about the city of Madison having its very own team. 

Junior hockey is a unique level of hockey. The kids aren’t paid, preserving their college eligibility. The players live with billet families, and unlike college hockey they play without a full cage on their helmets. The result is a brand of hockey that is both extremely high skill and Wild West. On the right night, in the right city—USHL arenas are packed with beer swilling fans who adore these kids and treat them like kings.

The launch campaign for the Madison Capitols franchise had to equal parts education and excitement. The brand idea “That’s Junior Hockey” would both introduce the new team, while also educating about some of the nuances of junior hockey. While brand content like the all-access Madtown Juniors would aimed to pin the new franchise to the hearts of the city of Madison specifically. The result was a new hockey team that was both loved and understood.  Housing Family Ads—these were used to recruit billet homes for players, and to introduce this new level of junior hockey to the market: