PARTNERSHIP // BRAND STRATEGY // LIVE ACTIVATIONS
Complex // Hottest Partnership on Ice
YEAR: 2021
Project overview
Our COO was obsessed with the show and the creator of Hot Ones was obsessed with the Kings. A partnership was written in the sauce.
The challenge
The in-arena team needed to find new activations to bring to fans during game-time. The LA Kings also wanted to find a new dynamic way to extend the reach of the brand with what was hot at the moment, the food show Hot Ones that challenges guests to eat their sauce and not burn the barn down. We needed to find ways to bring the brands together and our fans to be a part of the partnership experience, whether they wear it, eat it, or get on stage during the game with us.
My role
Creative Director - overseeing the concept development in partnership with Complex and our Partnership team. Then leading creative and in-arena activations developing set designs, motion packages, and the wearables bringing the partnership together with a ‘fire’ execution.
The solution
Create something memorable that has never been done before. The NHL’s first in-arena food show and the first NHL team to develop their own hot sauce. Of course it had to be LA to do it! To be successful it needed to feel polished, obtainable, and include branding that felt authentic to the LA Kings and Complex’s Hot Ones franchise.
visual identity
The campaign brought a fresh take on the LA Kings brand and created a mutually ownable creative execution for Hot Ones and LA Kings that was expressed from set design elements to motion design featured in the digital series that first aired in 2021.
Original concept art - inspired sculptures of the chicken and Bailey (see below)
Set design
Motion graphic creative - inspired by the original Complex series creative
merchandise development
The Kings wanted to find a way to incorporate a wearable element to their silver jersey (worn on Saturday nights) where the in-arena game would be featured. The product line was limited with a jersey, hat, sweatshirt, and the first ever NHL team hot sauce. We then went to develop a warm-up jersey to support the LA Kings Foundation with sales of the jersey supporting the cause.
LAK x Hot Ones jersey
Kings Care Foundation auction spotlight graphics - on social and in-arena
LAK x Hot Ones hat and sauce
Partnership social marketing
hero film
The original series was unfortunately set to start shooting in 2020, so we had to pivot our approach to a digital first shoot. The partnership success was not faltered by this and continues in arena with guests asking to join in and even creating their own content featuring the activation.
Digital series - Sauce or Pass
On-ice set display
In-arena activation - Sauce or Pass
campaign results
Bucket list item: Create a brand of hot sauce. This was the first ever by an NHL team!
The auction jersey generated over $20K sales in one night for the LA Kings Foundation
The live-event activation is still played in arena today and continues to be an event VIP guests request to be a part of
The partnership deal was extended for years after launch due to the success of the program and effective co-branded collaboration efforts.