So, the Vegas Golden Knights fell to the Washington Capitals in the NHL Finals. However, even though the Stanley Cup won’t be making its way back to Vegas, the fact remains that the Golden Knights marketing team has achieved royalty status in the team’s inaugural NHL season.
4 Ways the Golden Knights Marketing Team Scored Big
1. Branding
Even at a quick glance the Vegas Golden Knights brand name and logo sound and look really cool, no doubt about it. What you may not realize, though, is that there are few small subtleties that actually make them meaningful to Nevada and the Sin City:
- Nevada is the fourth-largest exporter of gold in the world (hence, “golden”)
- “V” shape in the helmet of the logo represents Vegas
- Secondary logo recreates the star from the famous “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign using swords
In our opinion, it would have been pretty lazy of the creative department to cop out and name the team something gambling-related. Props to them for creating a truly unique brand!
Check out this great video about the creation of the Golden Knights brand and logo:
2. Social Media
Before the players even hit the ice, the Golden Knights marketing team started sharpening the brand’s social media presence with a combination of sarcasm, pop culture references and team-related news.
The content and voice leveraged by the Golden Knights social media team are perfect for fostering fan interaction: references appealed to younger, meme-savvy followers, but weren’t so obscure that they alienated older fans.
Marc-Andre Fleury
please meet Bark-Andre Furry
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) May 10, 2018
The masterminds behind @GoldenKnights on Twitter also did a really good job of trash talking other teams without being too vicious.
We're definitely proud! But not as proud as @CanadiensMTL are of how many championships they won when there were only 6 teams in the league🙄 https://t.co/FaK14I2XLz
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) September 20, 2017
Because everybody knows how good @SanJoseSharks are at holding leads🙄 https://t.co/O2YGCvhx0R
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) September 1, 2017
3. The Game Experience
Ultimately, the game experience provided by the Golden Knights franchise is the product they’re selling. And they did an incredible job developing that product.
The opening ceremony of Game 1 of the 2018 Stanley Cup Finals, which took place at T-Mobile Arena in Vegas, was the equivalent of a miniature Broadway Show. We won’t waste words describing it. Just watch it below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Oz2R6lWVQY
In addition to arguably the most amazing opening ceremony in NHL history, there’s plenty more to look forward to at Golden Knights games:
- “Vegas Lights” by Panic! At the Disco as their goal song
- “Viva Las Vegas” by Elvis Presley as their victory song
- Tons of fun events on the concourse all game long
4. Community Organizing
Last, but certainly not least, is the way the Golden Knights marketing strategy engages Las Vegas residents to build a sustainable source of ticket sales, rather than relying on tourism.
From their plan to offer single game tickets to locals only, to their takeover of the Fremont Street Fair, the Golden Knights averaged 18,042 fans at each home game at an arena with a 20,000 person capacity. Not bad at all for their first season.
At Fat Guy Media, we tend to be fans of strictly New York teams. But with such great marketing tactics, how could we not love the Golden Knights?
