Opponents now also serve their sentences in Davos on bathtubs

Shortly before the first game of the 2017/18 ice hockey season, it was announced that the players will in future serve their penalties in the Vaillant Arena on bathtubs and toilets, sponsored by the Kunz company, a specialist store for sanitary and wellness facilities in Klosters and Davos. The response was great. In particular, the "toilet" penalty bench caused heated discussions on social media. On the commentary pages of various news platforms, there was no consensus as to whether it was right to let the HC Davos opponents sit on toilets or whether the action was far from good taste. On the same day, the umbrella organization of Swiss ice hockey intervened and prevented the use of penalty benches at the start of the season. It should be clarified in advance whether the penalty benches are in compliance with the rules and meet the requirements of the league.

Specifications not met

According to article 8 in the technical regulations, the implementation of two different player benches is not allowed. This states that each penalty bench must have the same dimensions and composition without giving an advantage to one of the teams. Ice hockey fans who do not support HC Davos can therefore breathe a sigh of relief: in the future, they will not see their players sitting on toilets, but on identical bathtubs in the form of benches, which are also clearly recognizable as such. Does this mean that the marketing campaign of the specialty store in cooperation with HC Davos has failed?

HC Davos stands behind the action

"Not at all," says Marc Gianola, Head of Marketing and Sponsorship at HC Davos. "When we were presented with the implementation of the two penalty benches, we were immediately on board. Together with the sponsor and its marketing agency, we worked out the idea, fully aware that it would not be received by all fans in the same way and that there is a possibility that the federation will not approve of the penalty benches. However, we are of the opinion that the hockey scene can tolerate such actions, as the players on the field are not exactly squeamish with each other; swear words are part of the daily routine. There should be room for such marketing ideas with an ironic message.

In the future players sit on bathtubs

On the sponsor and agency side, too, the consensus is that the campaign was a complete success and exceeded expectations. "Successful marketing means sometimes taking unconventional paths. The aim of the campaign was to achieve the greatest possible impact with minimal resources, and we certainly succeeded. We were aware that the new interpretations of the penalty benches would be provocative and would not be approved of by everyone. The saying Shit happens, however, should not be taken literally, but rather in the sense of the proverb - stupidly done," explains Armin Spescha, owner of the marketing and communications agency Communicaziun.ch. However, the toilet penalty bench will now be replaced with a second, rule-compliant bathtub penalty bench, identical to the one used by the HCD. In the 2017/18 season, future penalties will be served in bathtubs. The discarded penalty bench will be used elsewhere in the future. Details are currently still being clarified.