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Sc. 13 · Columbus Blue Jackets
Columbus Blue Jackets players skate out of the tunnel onto the ice, with Horizon and PNC branding visible on the boards.
← All work13 · Sport · 2020 to 2021

Columbus
Blue Jackets

An anniversary season, the club’s first helmet sponsors, and a chance to recognize frontline workers. I wrote the announcements and the information fans needed to take part.

6,400
completed frontline-worker
nominations
Client
Columbus Blue Jackets · Nationwide
Role
Lead digital strategist and senior copywriter
Discipline
Helmet sponsor spots and 20th anniversary
Season
2020 - 2021
Sc. 13A · The briefA twentieth season with different demands
The idea
An anniversary, a new helmet sponsor, and a year that broke hockey’s usual rhythm.

The 2020-2021 work had to carry an anniversary season, a new helmet sponsorship, and community recognition during a year that had disrupted the usual rhythm of hockey. I wrote across broadcast, social, email, landing pages, nominations, and review cycles involving Nationwide, the club, and the NHL.

As Lead Digital Strategist and Senior Copywriter for the Nationwide partnership, I worked on how the sponsor appeared in the season’s broadcast, social, email, and website copy.

“
// A first for the club

Any new logo on a
uniform gets noticed

On January 4, 2021, the Columbus Blue Jackets named Nationwide and OhioHealth their first helmet sponsors, with Nationwide on the road whites. The 60-second spot had to make the placement feel like part of the season, and it had to clear three review teams to get on air.

Sc. 13B · The workPartnership strategy · Broadcast · Digital journeys

One partner,
three jobs.

A helmet launch, an anniversary program and a recognition campaign, each with its own audience and its own path.

The season plan

Launch · Anniversary · Recognition
A white Nationwide helmet beside a navy OhioHealth helmet
01Sponsorship launch

Introduce the helmet placement.

Broadcast and pre-roll scripts introducing the sponsor to fans.

Write for the fans
A Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender in a 20th anniversary graphic
02Anniversary program

Tell the team story.

Social, email, and landing pages that brought the team’s history into the “SINCE 2000” anniversary campaign.

Give fans history
Columbus Blue Jackets players celebrating along the bench
03Recognition campaign

Invite nominations.

An invitation to nominate a frontline worker, followed by clear submission and opt-in steps.

Build the process
A Columbus Blue Jackets captain at center ice
Two Columbus Blue Jackets players bumping gloves
01Road white helmets

Introducing Nationwide on the road white helmets

I scripted the 60-second broadcast and pre-roll spots announcing Nationwide on the team’s road white helmets. The writing connected the sponsorship to the season and the people supporting the club.

That balance carried into the “SINCE 2000” anniversary campaign. I wrote the social posts, email workflows, and landing-page content with a conversational tone that still respected Nationwide’s brand guidelines.

What it delivered
60s
flagship broadcast and pre-roll sponsorship script
Columbus Blue Jackets players in a goal huddle
A Columbus Blue Jackets player celebrating, with the 20th anniversary mark
02Nominations

Helping fans find the history and take part

The frontline-worker campaign asked fans to nominate someone. I planned the steps from the invitation through the nomination and opt-in forms, so people knew what to submit and what would happen next.

For the anniversary pages, I built the search framework so fans looking for local team history could find the relevant Nationwide-sponsored content and understand what they had reached.

What it delivered
6,400
completed frontline-worker nominations
An empty Nationwide Arena before a game
03Review

Getting the work through three review teams

Every deliverable had to fit the requirements of Nationwide, the Columbus Blue Jackets, and the NHL. I managed the review process between NHL brand managers, the club’s internal team, and Nationwide’s legal department, including the legal requirements for signed-merchandise giveaways.

What it delivered
Zero
schedule slip across all three review teams

Launch, story, recognition.

Season pattern
Sponsorship launch

Introduce the helmet placement

Introduce the sponsor in language fans recognize.

Anniversary program

Tell the team story

Give supporters history they can use.

Recognition campaign

Invite nominations

Explain how to submit a nomination.

The twentieth season

Campaign art and team stills
The Columbus Blue Jackets bench during a game
Columbus Blue Jackets practice on the ice
The team gathered at center ice during practice
The 20th anniversary team reveal graphic
The Columbus Blue Jackets campaign cover
Sc. 13C · By the numbersThe anniversary season

What the season delivered

6,400
Completed nominations

Frontline-worker nominations through the helmet nomination path.

Anniversary season
20th
Partnership campaign across broadcast, digital and arena media
Broadcast script
60s
Flagship broadcast and pre-roll sponsorship script
Stakeholder groups
3
Organizations in the unified approval process
Sc. 13D · Inside the caseCampaign video
A Columbus Blue Jackets player celebrating, with the 20th anniversary mark
20th anniversaryCampaign video
Production credits
RoleLead digital strategist and senior copywriter
ScopePartnership narrative · Broadcast scripts · Social and email copy · Digital journeys
CollaboratorsNationwide · Columbus Blue Jackets · NHL
Season2020 to 2021
An aerial shot shows Huntington Park lit up at dusk, with a vibrant sunset over the city skyline in the background.
Next · Sc. 14 · Sport · 2020 to 2022
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