Grey Cup Bright Ideas

Had a speed brainstorm session with my Grade 12 Sports Marketing class on ways to increase Grey Cup ratings and buzz. I thought many of the ideas were practical and worth consideration. Here’s a summary:

Bring celebrities into the broadcast booth to call parts of the game – suggestions were Dwayne Johnston aka “The Rock” due to his notoriety and past connection as a former CFL player. Idea is to follow what the Brier did a few years back having Will Ferrell's Anchor Man character call some of the curling action to gain cross media attention.

Have Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky do a via satellite coin flip and offer his thanks and plea for continued support. Connection also to the large Ukraine populations in the Canadian Prairies.

Bring in a top talent, i.e.. Shawn Mendes, that skew toward a younger demo for the half – time show, but go outside the traditional timelines. Use some commercial time for sponsored performances throughout, so non – traditional viewers stay engaged throughout the game.

The rationale for the ideas above are to try and gain attention beyond traditional sport media and ideally gain US exposure. Rationale is that American attention usually validates interest for many Canadians in their entertainment choices.

Ideas below are more geared toward continuing to build Canadian culture and patriotism to the Grey Cup.

- Have a Sport Wagering company be the exclusive partner of the game and give everyone a free wager for betting credits. Game attendees would win team apparel of the winning team – if they picked the winner. Was further fleshed out to include all Canadians, with two major charities sponsoring each team. Invite fans to social media to share their pledge and winning team pick.