TORONTO, Feb. 26, 2020 /CNW/ - It's Official: Ilya
"Souperman" Mikheyev is named Campbell Canada's Chief Soup
Officer. After proclaiming his love of soup, Toronto Maple
Leafs player Ilya Mikheyev has just
signed a deal with Campbell Canada, the nation's most beloved brand
of soup.
It all started with a post-game interview, where Mikheyev was
asked about his biggest challenges of moving to Toronto from his native Russia. The first was English as a second
language, and the second, why aren't Canadians eating enough soup?
He said in an interview, "Yes. I like soup. I don't know why you
don't eat soup."
Mikheyev's statement quickly went viral, with the winger being
dubbed by fans and teammates as "Souperman" or "Soupy". Many memes
and light-hearted gifs made their rounds on popular social media
platforms, inspiring fans to dig into their favourite soups. Fans
even created a celebratory move for Mikheyev where each time he
scores a goal, they pretend to slurp a big spoon of soup.
It wasn't long after that fans on social media and major daily
newspapers began calling for a partnership between Mikheyev and
Campbell's. Campbell Canada heeded
the calls, opening the door for a natural and organic partnership
with the Maple Leafs player that will include digital advertising,
social media, game integration, in-store point of sale signage,
contesting and appearances.
"It made sense. He's a great guy, and really well-loved by his
teammates and fans," says Kristen
Knox, Director of Marketing at Campbell Canada. "Hockey and
soup are such Canadian staples, and when these worlds came
together, there was no question we wanted to work with Mikheyev.
His passion for the sport and everything from our Classic Chicken
Noodle to Creamy Tomato Soup is genuine. When you have something
like that, it's a winning combination that can't be ignored. The
Toronto Maple Leafs were able to bring it all together with some
fun activations planned for the rest of the hockey season."
"An organic partnership, such as this one with Campbell's, is
always our goal," said Jordan Vader,
Vice President, Global Partnerships at MLSE. "When a partnership
aligns with our team, and especially a player, it resonates more
with our fans and they are able to truly enjoy all the benefits
that come with it."
Whether nourishing athletes or feeding families, Campbell's has
a soup variety to satisfy any craving.
Social media handles:
Ilya Mikheyev @souperman65
Campbell Canada
@CampbellCanada
About Campbell Company of Canada
Campbell (NYSE:CPB) is driven
and inspired by our Purpose, "Real food that matters for life's
moments." For generations, people have trusted Campbell to provide
authentic, flavourful and affordable snacks, soups and simple
meals, and beverages. Founded in 1869, Campbell has a heritage of
giving back and acting as a good steward of the planet's natural
resources. The company is a member of the Standard and Poor's 500
and FTSE4Good Indexes. A subsidiary of Campbell Soup Company,
Campbell Company of Canada has a
long heritage of nourishing Canadians since 1930. For more
information, visit www.campbellsoup.ca
SOURCE Campbell Company of Canada