Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1531040
Wild fans are soaking in a stellar first half of the season, but it's not just the on-ice performance that's garnering attention. The "Not Weird. Wild" commercials produced over the last four years have been the result of a creative collaboration between John King and Tom Garrity's The Owner Group along with the team. "Most pro sports teams' marketing campaigns are templated, so you're going to get a lot of the same stuff," John King said. "We wanted to do something different." The players love it, too. "It's really fun to work with the players in a setting like this that lets them show off their personality," said Chris Barriere, Wild Director of Brand Marketing and Content. "When we first started, you could tell guys were a little shy and unsure how to act but as the campaign has grown, the team has really embraced the 'weird' and they all seem to have a lot of fun on set." The chemistry between King, creator of the All Hockey Hair videos, and the Wild, is Kaprizov-Zuccarello-esque. "Kinger speaks our language from a creative standpoint," Barriere added. "It's a unique relationship between client and agency. We not only collaborate on the creative scripting, but we also collaborate on the production and post-production. It's not uncommon for a 'what if we did it like this' moment on set when one of us has an epiphany and it completely changes the whole plan for the better. It's been a ton of fun." The results speak for themselves. Wild fans are eating them up. "We are very appreciative of the ideas, creativity and energy Tom Garrity and John King have shared with our organization," said Matt Majka, Minnesota Wild Chief Executive Officer. "The results of our collaboration have been fantastic and fan feedback continues to be phenomenal." Tape to Tape Photo / Minnesota Wild Goals & Assists Goals & Assists Behind the scenes look at the "Not Weird. Wild" commercials 06 PHOTO BOOTH John King, Chris Barriere and the rest of the creative team help showcase the Wild players' personalities. M H J O N L I N E . C O M | J A N / F E B 2 0 2 5