For the first time in 40 years, Canada’s men's soccer team will be participating in a World Cup tournament. This historic event will be celebrated by the Ontario-based iGaming company NorthStar Bets, which is calling for 90-minute breaks for ‘stat holidays’ where Canadians can watch their team’s fixtures.
NorthStar Bets is, ambitiously, asking all bosses in Canada to give their staff 90-minute breaks to watch the national team play. Its message is backed by hall-of-famer Craig Forrest, a Canadian goalkeeper, who stated that: “when Canada takes the field, we want you to take off work.”
While it remains to be seen if this cheeky promotional gambit by NorthStar will be embraced by all employers across Canada, NorthStar Bets is going full steam ahead with its ‘90 minutes’ marketing campaign.
It is inviting Toronto locals to join its team in its studio, The Rec Room, for a live pre-match show with the cast of the Footy Prime Podcast. The podcast will feature Forrest along with Jim Brennan, Dan Wong and Jeff Cole – the studio will be further packed with soccer stars and fans.
The event will include giveaways and meet and greets with former Canadian national team members. For interested soccer fans, NorthStar Bets has set up a ‘90 minutes’ official site where they can learn more about the 90-minute state holiday plan.
The site contains official press releases and a range of fun social media assets which are designed to convince reluctant bosses to allow for this ambitious plan, in the spirit of World Cup fever.