The HDA was formed by seven current and former professional hockey players in the wake of the George Floyd murder – and the resurgence of Black Lives Matter in 2020 – with the goal of eradicating racism and intolerance in hockey.

From day one, the HDA pushed for a more active stance to promote inclusion in hockey - a sport where only 5.7% of players are BIPOC. Unfortunately, the HDA’s pleas were not met with much responsiveness.

As part of a sweeping brand commitment to use its sports platform to make hockey more inclusive, Budweiser Canada partnered with the HDA. We set out to confront racism in the game by striking at the heart of the problem: the toxic culture that silenced all the voices speaking out against racism on the ice, in locker rooms, in the stands and online.

#TapeOutHate is a decisive call to action for everyone who plays, coaches or is a fan of hockey to do their part in putting an end to the racial hate that tarnishes Canada’s sport.

The idea was born out of the game itself, reimagining an essential piece of hockey equipment, the tape. Hockey tape is used to protect hockey sticks from damage, our campaign repurposed it to protect hockey’s BIPOC minority from hate, symbolically through words of support, but also literally using sales proceeds from the special edition tape.

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 uncensored ad was released, bearing the uncensored realities BIPOC players face, it propelled fans into action, taking a stand that would launch #TapeOutHate beyond hockey and into other pro sports.

Budweiser and the HDA understood that to dismantle racism, we had to first strike at the culture of silence and inaction that plagues hockey, both on and off the ice.

Together, our message was clear: Racism has no place in hockey, join us in our commitment to #TapeOutHate.

Our aim was to raise awareness and spark conversation among hockey fans, players and Canadians at large about confronting racism in hockey.

Strategically timed to one of the busiest professional hockey game days in January, the launch of campaign’s uncensored online video, coupled with a painstakingly crafted earned media strategy, was designed to shock media and fans, and force them to take a hard look at the passive acceptance of toxic hockey culture. As the campaign instigated outrage, we closely countered with an earned media narrative to action consumer participation online and via the sale of our exclusive hockey tape.

Phase One: Power Play

January 8th – With the aim to own sports discussion across mediums, we launched a powerful two-minute video on social, embargoed interviews with HDA members and Budweiser landed with prominent print/online outlets, and integrated into Canada’s most watched hockey broadcast. Multiple players took the ice with #TapeOutHate on their sticks.

Phase Two: Feed Social

January 9th - Influencers received tape drops to share on social, partner organizations were engaged in sharing the message, widening the grassroots campaign.

Phase Three: Amplify the Story

January 10th - Following a national release, we conducted targeted outreach to EN/FR sports, news, lifestyle, and culture verticals leveraging the HDA as spokespeople.

Phase Four: Enable Action

January 22nd - #TapeOutHate hockey tape made available at one of Canada’s largest retailers, distributing +10,000 rolls of tape. A portion of proceeds went to the HDA.

#TapeOutHate addressed the narrative around hockey’s toxic culture and gave Canadians a powerful tool to express themselves. It surpassed all benchmarks and delivered the largest campaign results to-date for Budweiser Canada.

#TapeOutHate trended #1 organically on Twitter within hours of launch, generated more than 500 stories, earned 350MM media impressions, and hit every major outlet in the country - all in under 2 weeks.

Over 2,000 rolls of hockey tape sold out online within 6 hours of launch. A second batch of 1,500 rolls was released within 48 hours and sold-out same day. 10,000 more hit Canada’s largest sports retailer and sold out within days. In addition to the tape, fans supported by purchasing merchandise from the HDA’s website, generating $200K+ of record-breaking funds in two weeks.

As a result of coverage, Budweiser received requests from hockey coaches and players across the globe – in Canadian, American, and European leagues - requesting tape for their teams and sharing their support/stories.