Who Branded It Best? NHL Schedule Release Edition

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Turns out Kirk Cousins gets his hair cut at Great Clips.

That unexpected detail dropped in season two of Quarterback on Netflix—and fans took notice. It’s not just that the Atlanta Falcons QB goes to an affordable salon chain. It’s how he does it.

Cousins makes last-minute appointments using the Great Clips app. Then, he shows a different stylist each time one of his old team headshots so they know what cut he wants.

Yes, it’s [almost certainly] a paid placement—there’s plenty of brand messaging baked in—but it works.

• While it’s surprising a multi-millionaire goes to Great Clips, Cousins feels like the guy who would.

• It also makes sense strategically. He was also the breakout star of Quarterback’s first season in 2023, so it was a smart move to double down on him as someone who could drive earned media. It did just that, landing coverage in The New York Post, The Hollywood Reporter, USA Today, People, and more.

• The timing of the show’s release is no coincidence either. Quarterback dropped in the dead zone between the NFL Draft and Training Camp—when excitement is rising but content is scarce. It’s the perfect window to launch a fan-friendly campaign.

And the activation didn’t stop at Netflix.

Cousins shared an Instagram post announcing his induction into the Great Clips Hall of Fade. The twist? Every time he checks into a salon, everyone there gets a free haircut. “Your next check-in on the app could be for a seat next to me,” he wrote.

That mechanic gives the brand real-world energy. It drives traffic to Atlanta-area Great Clips locations—but also creates national buzz. With 10 Falcons road games from August through December, fans across the country now have a reason to open the app and maybe catch a cut next to Kirk.

Great Clips didn’t just buy screen time—they bought a character moment, a cultural beat, and a reason for fans to take action.

It’s a smart example of how to anchor a campaign in personality, time it to fan anticipation, and extend it through real-world rewards. That’s how you turn one scene into a season-long story.

In Today’s Edition:

• NHL Schedule Release Scouting Report 📋️

• New Look Whisper Challenge 🎧️

• BYU’s YouTube Membership 🏌️

🏊️ DEEP DIVE
2025 NHL Schedule Release By The Numbers

We’re dropping Sponcon Sports early again this week—this time for the 2025 NHL Schedule Release. Let’s get into the stats and standout trends:

Sponsorship Stats

• 94% of teams (30-of-32) produced a Schedule Release video. Only the Tampa Bay Lightning and Edmonton Oilers stuck to graphics only. Meanwhile, the Chicago Blackhawks, Seattle Kraken, and Montreal Canadiens all comedically questioned the need to make a video at all.

• 47% of teams that posted videos (14-of-30) had a sponsor attached to the asset.

• 13% of teams (4-of-32) attached sponsors to graphics only—not their videos. All four were Metropolitan Division teams: the New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Washington Capitals, and New Jersey Devils.

• 41% of teams (7-of-17) with sponsored video assets did not tag the brand.

• 16 different brands appeared across Schedule Release content.

• Ticketmaster sponsored content for 28% of the teams with branded assets (5-of-18), more than double the next most frequent brand: SeatGeek (2 teams).

Beyond ticketing, no brand showed up more than once. Here’s a breakdown of the other top categories:

Banking (4): Chase (Rangers), Capital One (Capitals), Citizens (Devils), Regions (Nashville Predators)

Airline (3): Alaska Airlines (Kraken), JetBlue (New York Islanders), Southwest Airlines (San Jose Sharks)

Medical (2): Advent Health (Lightning), UPMC (Pittsburgh Penguins)

Product Integrations: Seen in 36% of Sponsored Videos

A few smart examples of brands woven into the creative:

• Detroit Red Wings: Labatt featured in a “Centennial Bar” concept. The Red Wings and Rangers both highlighted their upcoming Centennial seasons

• Penguins: A hospital show parody shot at a UPMC location, with a Dunkin’ placement to close—must be a Pittsburgh thing to shoot the video in a sponsor location (see Pittsburgh Steelers x Laurel Highlands 2025)

• Utah Mammoth: Their "Day in the Life" video included SeatGeek signs, cups, and glassware. A Stanley Cup even made a cameo. This felt reminiscent of the Commanders’ “Cake or Not Cake?”

• Kraken: Alaska Airlines mugs on the conference room table

• Sharks: A mini Southwest Airlines plane appeared in their ‘90s nostalgia concept

Personal Favorites

Two teams stood out for originality:

• Penguins: The hospital show parody was both local and timely, tapping into The Pitt buzz while creatively showcasing all opponents.

• Blue Jackets: A Jackass-inspired concept, cleverly dubbed Jackets. From the music to the lo-fi camera style, it nailed the tone and threw us straight into Millennial nostalgia.

Both teams tagged their sponsors in the post.

Other Notables

Jets x Puckdoku Collab: The Jets partnered with the hockey trivia game Puckdoku. Each tweet in their thread describing their opponents played into the theme, while the day’s puzzle was Jets-themed and included a CTA to check out the team’s Schedule Release. Smart way to meet fans where they are.

Sweepstakes:

• Red Wings: ran a pre-release contest with Labatt where fans predicted games.

• Sharks: followed with a post-release sweepstakes offering airfare, courtesy of Southwest.

Off-Platform Distribution:

• Islanders: drove fans to their site for the full cut of Cal Clutterbuck’s “Summer Islanders Internship.”

• Predators: teased clips on social and linked to the full version on YouTube.

Predators Fan Offers: Nashville also rolled out a thread of fan perks—happy hours, merch, and even free tattoos.

These activations make Schedule Release feel like a celebration. It helps that, unlike the NFL, the NHL drops its schedule at 1 p.m. ET, giving brands and teams a full day to engage fans.

🔍️ SPONCONSPIRATION
Steal These Ideas

You’ve seen the Whisper Challenge. It’s usually tailor-made for headphone brands. But now, soccer creator John Shin has put a fresh spin on it—opening the door for tablet and mobile brands to get in on the action.

Patrick Mahomes and Coors Light launched The Patrick Plunge—a cold plunge shaped like Mahomes’ head—at KC Live! Only 60 fans can take the plunge, and it’s all for a good cause: a $15 donation to the 15 and the Mahomies Foundation secures your spot. Mini Mahomes plunge mugs dropped online on July 15.

Keep an eye on BYU Athletics’ YouTube. They just launched Cosmo’s Friends, a $2.99/month membership tier packed with exclusive content and perks. Their first drop, BYU Football Does Golf, integrated three brands: a Nike merch giveaway, Cart Cam powered by Lion Energy, and advanced stats from Walnut Golf Club.

England Rugby nailed the use of on-screen text to hook fans into learning what players eat after a match. O2’s jersey sponsorship gave them strong branding throughout.

Wimbledon reimagined 73 Questions with a twist of their own: Coffee Break, presented by Lavazza, where fans got to meet Head Gardener Martyn Falcone.

PSG tested New Yorkers’ soccer accuracy with a content idea begging to be used by a drink brand.

Loved this texting-style concept announcing that Coca-Cola Coliseum is the new home of the Toronto Tempo.

Los Angeles Golf Club is pushing creative collabs: a Bao Bao Head Cover with Din Tai Fung, co-branded Lusso Cloud slippers, a Dog Leg Brewing beer (Against The Grain), and something new with 7-Eleven on the way.

Callaway teamed up with Good Good and Hole In 1 Trick Shots to promote the new Happy Gilmore 2 putter.

Thanks to this Coca-Cola-sponsored series from Men In Blazers, we now know Keegan-Michael Key is a Belgium fan. Who knew?

🚨 ICYMI
What To Watch For

Stat-Powered Sponcon: Stats Perform dropped 90 sponsored content ideas for football teams, leagues, and broadcasters—all backed by Opta data points [via Ben Jermy].

Fans To Funnels: Rachel Karten interviewed Gabriella Zutrau, the brains behind Zohran Mamdani’s Instagram DM strategy using Manychat—which drove over 20K clicks. While it powered a political campaign, this is a must-read for sports marketers trying to turn fans into leads [via Link In Bio].

Nike’s Subtle Substack: Daniel-Yaw Miller explored why Nike quietly launched a Substack newsletter [via SportsVerse].

Cover Star Power: Jordan Rogers shared how Angel Reese and Reebok executed a standout week—from her NBA 2K26 cover debut to her ongoing brand build.

Swinging At Scale: Jonny Keogh, YouTube’s Head of UK Sports, shared 10 lessons on how athletes are turning into media companies—using golf as the lens.

Fan Experience Upgrade: Adobe is now the Premier League’s “Official Digital Fan Experience Partner.” Their Express and Firefly tools will integrate directly into the league’s site and app [via SportsPro].