Innovative branded content series scores big with Canadians

TORONTO, Feb. 16, 2017 /CNW/ - The Scotiabank Heroes of Hockey Day in Canada ("Heroes") competition concluded last night with a surprising, come-from-behind victory by the Girls Hockey Calgary Jr. Inferno club.  The team won the competition and a trip to Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada in Kenora, Ontario this weekend where they will see the Stanley Cup and be interviewed live on TV by Ron MacLean, among other surprises.

"Scotiabank Heroes of Hockey Day is a highly-effective branded content series that celebrates community hockey and the values hockey teaches kids in a storyline that reiterates the power of coming together as a team," says Clinton Braganza, Senior Vice President, Canadian Marketing at Scotiabank. "The series has scored a hat trick of impressive results. Video viewership is surpassing our objectives by over 100 per cent. ROI on paid digital media has exceeded our expectations. And, this content format is a much more efficient means of driving engagement across media platforms."

Airing weekly on Scotiabank Wednesday Night Hockey on Sportsnet since October, Heroes follows three Scotiabank-sponsored kids' hockey teams with players aged nine to 11 years old: the Burlington Eagles, Halifax TASA Ducks, and Calgary Jr. Inferno, in a reality contest that tests their ability to work and play together. The final episode, which chronicles their time at Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada, airs March 8^th. 

"Viewers are watching the story unfold in 20 sequential 90-second broadcast features, with longer-form three-minute episodes and behind-the-scenes content on the bank's social media channels on Facebook (Scotia Hockey Club), Twitter, and YouTube," said Jeff Anders, Founder and CEO of The Mark, the creative content company that produced the series.

"We attribute the increase in views, time spent, and audience engagement to the serialized format. Audiences followed from week to week, got to know and love the characters, and were inspired by the kids' commitment to the values of "The 5^th Season" – the hockey season – as dubbed by Scotiabank in its marketing campaign," continued Anders.

Complete details about Heroes are available on the Scotiabank website.

Scotiabank Heroes of Hockey Day in Canada was co-developed by The Mark and Scotiabank.

About Scotiabank

Scotiabank is Canada's international bank and a leading financial services provider in North America, Latin America, the Caribbean and Central America, and Asia-Pacific. We are dedicated to helping our 23 million customers become better off through a broad range of advice, products and services, including personal and commercial banking, wealth management and private banking, corporate and investment banking, and capital markets. With a team of more than 88,000 employees and assets of $896 billion (as at October 31, 2016), Scotiabank trades on the Toronto (TSX: BNS) and New York Exchanges (NYSE: BNS). For more information, please visit www.scotiabank.com and follow us on Twitter @ScotiabankViews.

About The Mark

The Mark is a creative content agency that specializes in helping companies, universities, and NGOs use digital-publishing techniques to turn their websites and social media pages into profit centers. The Mark does not create ads; it uses a proprietary methodology to custom develop video documentaries, TV-style programming, info-graphics, and live-video web chats that brands use on their digital properties to attract, retain, and grow client accounts. Select clients include Scotiabank, LASIK MD, Manulife, IBM, and The Globe & Mail.

SOURCE Scotiabank