As a sponsor of the Montreal Canadiens and Edmonton Oilers, Rona has launched an activation to support both teams on their way to winning the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The brand has installed “Beacons of luck,” large wooden panels in front of Montreal’s Bell Centre and at Fan Park at Rogers Place, inviting team fans to knock on the wood for luck.
Although the Montreal Canadiens were eliminated last week, Rona says their activation has gone well, with fans lining up to knock on wood, take selfies and post their own superstitions on social media.
“On the day we launched in Montreal, the Habs clinched a win, which only added fuel to the fire. It felt like the whole city was buzzing with belief that maybe, just maybe, the luck was working,” says Catherine Laporte, SVP of marketing and customer experience at Rona, adding that the team is optimistic about the activation’s performance during the Oilers second-round series against the Vegas Golden Knights.
As part of the initiative, fans were also given a wooden keychain with the motto “Knock on Wood” as a lucky symbol during the first two home games. In addition, the company used wooden panels to modify bus stations in Montreal, and boards in the two stadiums have shown the campaign’s message, which has been reinforced with TV advertising to increase its reach.
Cossette Media handled the buy, while Sid Lee is behind the creative.
Laporte tells MiC that Rona’s purpose was to turn a family superstition into a fan ritual, and the concept of “knock on wood”struck a chord with the brand, especially given its Quebecois roots, where the phrase is a common expression.
According to her, the activations help connect with both external communities and internal stakeholders. When dealers and employees see fans engaging with activations built with Rona materials, it fosters shared pride. This reinforces the idea that the company’s work goes beyond just building products and create national moments and memories, she says. “That inside-out pride strengthens our culture and reinforces our purpose, which ultimately shows through in every customer interaction.”
The activation’s also appeal extends across generations, drawing in families and fans of all ages, from lifelong enthusiasts to young children experiencing the excitement for the first time. By creating inclusive moments, Lapotte says Rona fosters early connections with the next generation of homeowners and community builders, ensuring the brand remains top of mind for years to come.
“Our strategy is to connect with Canadians through what they love, hockey, and to show our support in a way that feels true to who we are. We don’t just sell wood; we believe in using what we do best to build bonds with the community,” she says. “Our main KPIs focus on on-site engagement, the number of fans participating, sharing and interacting with the installations, as well as overall social sentiment and brand affinity in the playoffs context.”
The activations align with the brand’s new positioning, which focuses on sentiment-based home renovation advertising, which the team discovered to be more effective than demos.
Recently, the company increased its media investment to launch its new positioning with a humorous, tongue-in-cheek tone campaign dubbed “half-ass”. At the centre of it is a relatable protagonist: the front half of a donkey, literally illustrating the expression “half-ass” that’s often used in the industry to describe subpar renovations. The campaign is airing on TV, OLV and social media platforms. It also feature OOH ads, with Cossette Media handling buying.
