THE RIGHT MATCH
03/12/01- Strategy Magazine

TD Waterhouse and the Toronto Raptors

D'Arcy McDonald, Alliance Marketing Manager
TD Waterhouse

The goal
The goal for both the Raptors and TD Waterhouse was to speak to potential customers in a new way, by developing and nurturing online customer relationships.

More than 70% of all TD Waterhouse transactions happen online, so by developing relationships with Raptors fans online, we are pre-qualifying future prospects. If a fan has a positive experience, we are creating a propensity with that client to do business with us in the future.

The brand
The TD Waterhouse brand is leading edge, innovative and secure.

The sponsorship
"Score with TD Waterhouse" marks the first time in NBA history that a corporate sponsor of one of its 29 teams has leveraged an online relationship. The contest offers Toronto Raptors fans in the Greater Toronto Area the chance to win prizes by clicking on the contest banner at www.tdwaterhouse.ca or www.raptors.com between Feb. 7 and March 29, 2001.

The online initiative involves over $100,000 worth of prizes, including a grand prize trip for two to the TD Waterhouse Centre in Orlando, Fla. The online promotion was developed by Integram Marketing Group and is powered by N5R.com.

The right match
The success of TD Waterhouse online and the reputation and awareness the Raptors bring to the relationship provided a solid basis for promoting both brands. The two companies have created a contest that complements the brands involved, while reaching out to a new demographic. The contest has had over 13,000 registrations in its first three weeks, a huge success by industry standards.