With hockey and basketball seasons underway and football in full swing, Canadian sports fans are back in game-day mode. And for brands, the opportunity to connect with these audiences goes well beyond the game itself. From the morning commute and pre-game gatherings to sports bars, restaurants and shopping destinations, fans are engaging with sports culture throughout their everyday routines, creating new opportunities for advertisers to reach them in relevant, real-world, says Vistar Media.
As brands look to make the most of the fall sports calendar, Scott Mitchell, Managing Director, Canada at Vistar Media, spoke to Retail Insider about how digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising is helping brands connect with sports fans beyond traditional broadcasts and sponsorships.
With hockey and basketball seasons underway and football in full swing, why should brands be thinking beyond traditional broadcasts and sponsorships to reach Canadian sports fans?
Sports advertising has traditionally been built around the game itself, whether that’s a television commercial, a jersey sponsorship or signage inside the arena. Those are still valuable ways to reach fans, but they’re only one part of a much bigger picture.
Think about how someone follows their favourite hockey team. They might check the highlights over breakfast, talk about the previous night’s game with colleagues and make plans to watch the next matchup with friends. One of the biggest opportunities for brands is recognizing that sports fandom doesn’t begin and end with the broadcast. It’s part of how people connect, socialize and make decisions throughout their everyday lives
That’s where digital out-of-home can complement traditional sports advertising. It gives brands another way to build recognition throughout the season, even when fans aren’t actively watching a game. Our recent research with Angus Reid found that 39% of Canadians took action after seeing out-of-home advertising in the past month. While this finding extends beyond sports, it reinforces an important point: reaching consumers in their everyday environments can create opportunities for engagement and action, not just awareness.
The goal isn’t to replace the broadcast, but to create a more consistent presence around something audiences already care about, while encouraging engagement beyond game day.
How does sports fandom extend into Canadians’ everyday routines, and what opportunities does that create for retailers and advertisers?
What’s interesting about sports is how much of the experience happens away from the stadium. A basketball game might mean meeting friends for dinner beforehand, while a Saturday night hockey matchup could involve picking up groceries, ordering takeout or heading to a neighbourhood sports bar.
For retailers, this highlights an important distinction: understanding why someone is shopping can be just as valuable as knowing who they are. Sports create occasions that influence what people buy, when they buy it and where they choose to spend. The opportunity is to connect with consumers based on what matters to them in that moment, rather than relying on audience demographics alone.
That creates opportunities for brands to think more carefully about how their advertising relates to what customers are planning or doing. Our research found that 22% of Canadians searched online for a brand after seeing out-of-home advertising, while 18% visited a website, highlighting how advertising in physical environments can encourage further engagement.
A grocery retailer might highlight easy entertaining options, while a restaurant could promote a game-night menu. It’s about understanding the practical role a business can play in an occasion people are already planning around, and reaching them with relevant messaging along the way.
How can digital out-of-home advertising help brands tailor their messaging around game days, major matchups and different points in the sports season?
One of the biggest changes in out-of-home advertising is that brands no longer have to run the same message in every location for weeks at a time. Digital screens give advertisers much more flexibility to respond to what’s happening throughout the sports calendar.
For example, a restaurant chain could promote a pre-game special in downtown Toronto ahead of a Raptors home game, while running different creative in another market. A retailer could also adjust its messaging as the hockey season progresses, moving from opening-week excitement to rivalry matchups or playoff anticipation.
What’s important is that these changes can be planned around actual game schedules, rather than requiring a completely new campaign every time. Brands can adapt the message, the location and when it appears while keeping the overall creative consistent. The real opportunity isn’t simply changing creative more frequently. It’s making advertising more relevant to the moment someone encounters it. For marketers, that means treating context as a strategic consideration, not just a creative one.
Are there opportunities for Canadian brands outside traditional sports categories to participate in sports season advertising?
Absolutely. I think one of the misconceptions about sports marketing is that you need to sell athletic apparel, equipment or another sports-related product to have a reason to participate.
In reality, sports are also social occasions, and that opens the door to a much broader range of businesses. A furniture retailer could focus on creating a comfortable space to watch games at home. A grocery chain might highlight food for hosting friends, while a quick-service restaurant could build a promotion around an evening matchup.
The key is finding an authentic connection to the occasion, rather than forcing an association with the sport itself. Brands don’t need to be part of the game to be relevant to the experiences surrounding it.
And you don’t necessarily need an official sponsorship to do that. For many Canadian businesses, particularly regional retailers, there’s value in building creative around the interests and occasions that matter to their customers, without trying to position themselves as part of the sport itself.
What advice would you give Canadian retailers and marketers looking to make sports advertising a more effective part of their strategy this season?
I’d encourage brands to start with the business objective rather than the sporting event. It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of a major matchup, but the first question should be what you’re actually trying to achieve. Are you introducing a new product, encouraging store visits or building familiarity with customers in a particular market?
Those goals should shape the campaign. A national retailer building awareness will approach sports season differently than a local restaurant trying to increase traffic on game nights. And the way you measure success should reflect that distinction.
I’d also encourage brands to think beyond individual games. Hockey and basketball give advertisers a calendar that stretches over several months, with natural opportunities to refresh creative and test different approaches.
Ultimately, success shouldn’t be measured by how many sports fans a campaign reaches, but by whether it reaches them in moments that matter to the business. The brands that get the most value from sports advertising will be those that connect fandom to meaningful consumer actions, rather than treating each game as a standalone marketing opportunity.
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