Blackhawks, Bears tag team new ad campaign

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: Blackhawks, Bears tag team new ad campaign : Players film commercials as part of a marketing strategy that targets fans of both franchises : Phil Rosenthal : Tribune Media : October 14, 2009 : Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler and Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews trade tips on passing accuracy. Bears linebacker Lance Briggs and Hawks defenseman Brent Seabrook compare notes on how big hits can lead to big turnovers. : Bears kicker Robbie Gould, with the Blackhawks' Patrick Sharp holding, tries to boot a field goal into a hockey net strapped to the uprights. : It's one city, two teams and several goals. : The pro football and hockey teams are partnering on a TV ad campaign, unique in that it will promote both franchises. "Crosstown Supporters," crafted by Hawks agency Ogilvy & Mather, is separate from the Bears' "One City, One Team" campaign as well as from the Hawks' "One Goal" effort. : It offers the two old-school franchises an opportunity to showcase themselves in a different light, basking in each other's glow -- one sports team unmatched in its hold over Chicago, the other creating buzz as it seeks to regain its standing in the city. : "I'll give credit to the Blackhawks. They approached us," said Chris Hibbs, Bears senior director of sales and marketing. "They were very candid in saying: 'We need a way to reach a whole bunch of our core fans. ... If we take on a lot of the risks and costs, are you guys up for it?' That was a different concept for us." : Five commercials pairing Hawks and Bears players were shot at the Bears' Halas Hall headquarters in Lake Forest on Tuesday, a rare off day shared by both teams. The first spot will begin airing in a few weeks, with the Hawks, who paid to produce the ads, buying time and placing the spots, while the Bears donate airtime on programs they own. : The genesis of the campaign comes from a National Hockey League executives meeting in May when someone tossed out a statistic that 92 percent of NHL fans are also National Football League fans. : "I remember writing the word 'Bears' and circling it," said Jay Blunk, the Blackhawks senior vice president of business operations. "The Blackhawks are an up-and-coming brand, on the move. But the Chicago Bears are an iconic international brand. So when it came to attaching our brand to something with great credibility and great reach, there was no bigger fish than the Chicago Bears. We were very fortunate the Bears allowed us to do this." : Hibbs said the Bears probably wouldn't have if the Blackhawks hadn't made the marketing strides they have in the last few years. : Spots taped Tuesday include Cutler offering the Blackhawks advice on beating Detroit, the Hawks' Patrick Kane shooting footballs for the Bears' Devin Hester to return, and the Blackhawks' Brian Campbell helping out Bears tight end Greg Olsen. The point is to have some fun and show a little personality. : "We don't need the brand exposure," the Bears' Hibbs said. "We certainly don't need to sell tickets, thanks to our fans. So we didn't have those immediate needs, but there was the opportunity to align with (the Hawks), do something I'm not sure has ever been done and do something fun and light-hearted, which is not always the way we've been depicted. ... Our sport is serious. Our fans are serious about it. The media scrutiny is serious. This was a chance to get some of our guys out from under their helmets." : Blunk said the Hawks have to be bold and take chances. : "We're going to have to try things that haven't been done before," he said. "Some are going to work, some won't. But we've got to try absolutely everything under the sun to get this brand back. It's got some momentum. Now we really have an opportunity, and we have to work even harder because you have attention that you didn't have a year and a half, two years ago." : And who knows? Maybe they and the Bears can do what has been done before ... last season in Pittsburgh, home of the Steelers and the Penguins. : "They've got a Stanley Cup and a Lombardi Trophy," Hibbs said.

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