Door Number 3 Puts Dallas Stars in the Spotlight

Football may hold the sports popularity card in this country, but thanks to a new advertising campaign from Door Number 3, a full-service branding and advertising agency based in Austin, Texas, the Dallas Stars professional hockey team is enjoying a piece of the spotlight.

The independent Austin agency recently added the Dallas Stars to its roster and launched the first phase of a new advertising campaign with the tagline, “Come into the cold.” It’s the zingy one-liners on outdoor boards that are getting substantial attention in the Dallas market and beyond.

The first nine billboards (at least 11 more will be added by the end of the year) make it clear that hockey is a tough sport with a great sense of humor – much of it at the expense of recent troubles within the NFL and NBA. A sampling: “The only thing our refs shave is the ice.” and “One game a week? Is the N in NFL for Nancy?” Not all headlines take swipes at fellow sports, but all delve into the immense camaraderie among fans and hockey’s rough and tumble nature.

Over the past few days, the billboards have elicited substantial buzz via the web as well as ESPN television. Responding to a jab at professional basketball, Maverick’s owner Mark Cuban stated, “I think it’s hysterical. Good for them. It’s a fun ad.”

“Door Number 3 did a great job building buzz for the Texas Rangers and we wanted them to work their magic for us,” said Geoff Moore, executive vice president of sales and marketing for the Dallas Stars. “In a market with so much competition, we wanted people talking about how rough, tough and fun the hockey experience is as our season opener approaches. Mission accomplished.”

“We had a great time working on this campaign and are so fortunate to have the blessings of the Stars who were totally in to the idea of edgy humor. The bigger idea is to showcase the many unique qualities of the game: it’s one of the roughest with a brotherhood of fans and players that delivers its own chilly, heart-pounding experience,” said Prentice Howe, senior vice president, creative director at Door Number 3.