Hockey is an integral part of Canadian culture. But the game’s shameful lack of inclusivity has persisted for years despite countless outcries. Following the murder of George Floyd and the resurgence of the BLM movement in 2020, seven current and former NHL players created the Hockey Diversity Alliance (HDA) to eradicate racism in hockey. The HDA’s push to promote inclusion in hockey was not met with much support from the league.

With its strong ties to the sport, and a commitment to make hockey more inclusive, Budweiser saw an opportunity to partner with the HDA and give fans a compelling spark and broad platform to eradicate racism both on and off the ice.

Though the majority of fans supported the dismantling of racism in hockey, their support was silent, passive and in need of a spark. The challenge was to create a movement that incites and engages fans in a sustained effort to eradicate racism from hockey. Budweiser took a part of the game audiences are intimately familiar with and reframed it. The same roll of tape used to protect hockey sticks from damage and repurposing it to protect hockey’s BIPOC minority from hate, symbolically through words of support, but also literally using the proceeds from sales of special edition tape.

The tape was the centrepiece in a program that hinged on UGC content and fan participation. Rolls of tape with words of defiance and declarations of allyship became the catalyst for honest conversation, sparking a massive movement for real change in the game. When the film was released, bearing the raw, uncensored realities BIPOC players face, it propelled thousands of fans into action, taking a stand that would popularize the use of #TapeOutHate beyond hockey and into other pro sports.

The campaign launched with a powerful two-minute video exposing hockey fans to the stark reality of racism in the game today. The video was shared on social media by current and former NHL players, media outlets, influencers and hockey fans.

The hashtag was a call to remove racism from hockey and a declaration of allyship. Over 10,000 rolls of hockey tape with this hashtag gave fans a tangible way to show support, and make a financial contribution towards the movement. With more tape being printed and the social conversation spreading to other professional sports, #TapeOutHate continues to fund HDA initiatives.

#TapeOutHate broke through hockey’s toxic culture and gave both players and fans a powerful tool to speak out and take a stand against racism. This was the first ever Labatt campaign to get picked up by the Associated Press and ESPN in the US, and generated an outpouring of support from players and fans alike. #TapeOutHate trended organically on Twitter and generated more than 22,000 social mentions and 350 million impressions in under 2 weeks.

Over 2,000 rolls of hockey tape sold out online within 6 hours of the launch. A second batch of 1,500 rolls was released within 48 hours and sold out that same day. All in all, tape sales through Canadian Tire alone amounted to approximately $250,000 from 25,000 rolls sold, and that’s the beginning as they expand to other retailers across the country. In addition to the tape, fans supported by purchasing merchandise from the HDA’s website, generating $200K+ in unplanned funds
in two weeks.