Strategy

Washington Capitals' Gravy Boat Giveaway is Promo Gold

The Washington Capitals will be doing their bit to moisten overcooked turkeys this Thanksgiving courtesy of an uncanny promotional product.

Fans attending the NHL team’s Nov. 22 game against the Ottawa Senators will receive a gravy boat in the form of a mini ice resurfacer. "Ice resurfacer" is the generic term for what fans typically call a "Zamboni" – the man-driven machine that comes out between periods in hockey games to smooth the ice. (To be a true Zamboni, the resurfacer has to be made by the Zamboni Company, but we digress.)

To the gravy boat at hand:

Fans willing to pay for theme night packages (starting at $69) on Nov. 22 will receive the unique piece of branded dinnerware just in time to grace their Turkey Day tables the next day with a showing of team pride that is sure to irk visiting family members who do evil things like root for the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Rangers.

As a hockey fan, you have to love a clever one-upper like that, eh hoser? Just think of watching your Penguins-loving cousin having to decide between conceding to use the Capitals gravy boat or trying to scarf down grandma’s dry turkey without the gravy’s lubricating assistance. It’s schadenfreude as delectable as apple pie.

Washington Capitals' Gravy Boat Giveaway is Promo Gold

As a promotional initiative, the Capitals are scoring big with the gravy boat, which is being presented by Walmart. After all, it’s unique, memorable, timely, useful, and genuinely expressive of the brand – all elements of a winning promotion.

In fact, the Capitals seem to have a knack for successful game day promos. This year, other branded products fans will receive with purchases of theme night packages include a puck-shaped bottle opener and a nifty Capitals ice scraper that features the shaft of a hockey stick that ends in an ice skate at the scraping edge. For more on the Capitals promotions, head here.