Dasher boards are a shielding system used in nearly every hockey arena in the NHL. They are the feature that protects the fans from errant pucks and the notorious boards of hockey, in which players are slammed against in a hard check. However, new technology has marketers looking to make use of these necessary safety features. Dasher boards are fast becoming a - - for virtual advertising.
First Objective – Protect
Obviously, a hockey shot hurdling a small disc made of vulcanized rubber, clocked at speeds in excess of 100 mph, would be dangerous if allowed to fly unabated across a hockey rink. Priority number one for dasher boards is to keep the puck, and the players, inside the rink, therefore protecting the spectators from potentially …show more content…
The walls themselves are a transparent tempered or acrylic glass, which will not shatter or crack. Below the clear sections are thicker interlocking segments of hard plastic that are about waste high. Since the primary objective of dasher boards is to protect fans, but the fans still must be able to see the action, using transparent, high-impact materials is required.
A New Marketing Venture for Dasher Boards
While the top portion of the dasher boards around NHL arenas must remain transparent, it’s the lower sections that have triggered marketers to look for options. Fixed advertisements have been used previously, but with the available technology to produce virtual images that can change, advertising opportunities go far beyond just the total dimensions around an ice hockey rink. With each section able to change throughout the game, the number of different advertising contracts arena marketers can offer is essentially endless.
NHL executives experimented with changing company slogans and logos at the all star game and winter classic. Immediately the enormous potential of this promotional opportunity was clear. Arenas, once restricted by the overall square foot of dasher board space around arena, now could sell advertising options on essentially a timeshare
First Objective – Protect
Obviously, a hockey shot hurdling a small disc made of vulcanized rubber, clocked at speeds in excess of 100 mph, would be dangerous if allowed to fly unabated across a hockey rink. Priority number one for dasher boards is to keep the puck, and the players, inside the rink, therefore protecting the spectators from potentially …show more content…
The walls themselves are a transparent tempered or acrylic glass, which will not shatter or crack. Below the clear sections are thicker interlocking segments of hard plastic that are about waste high. Since the primary objective of dasher boards is to protect fans, but the fans still must be able to see the action, using transparent, high-impact materials is required.
A New Marketing Venture for Dasher Boards
While the top portion of the dasher boards around NHL arenas must remain transparent, it’s the lower sections that have triggered marketers to look for options. Fixed advertisements have been used previously, but with the available technology to produce virtual images that can change, advertising opportunities go far beyond just the total dimensions around an ice hockey rink. With each section able to change throughout the game, the number of different advertising contracts arena marketers can offer is essentially endless.
NHL executives experimented with changing company slogans and logos at the all star game and winter classic. Immediately the enormous potential of this promotional opportunity was clear. Arenas, once restricted by the overall square foot of dasher board space around arena, now could sell advertising options on essentially a timeshare