Just over two months ago, Discover Card acquired the naming rights to the Orange Bowl for four years and to the 2013 B.C.S. national championship game. On Monday, Discover will announce that it is the official credit card of the N.H.L. in the United States and the presenting sponsor of its 2011 All-Star Game in Raleigh, N.C.
Visa is the league’s credit card partner in Canada through this season.
The one-year Discover deal, which is worth $5 million, will also let cardholders redeem their cash rewards for discounts on N.H.L. merchandise. Also, one cardholder will be able to spend a day with the Stanley Cup. The way that person will be chosen has not been determined.
Jennifer Murillo, the advertising director for Discover Financial Services, said that the decision to sponsor the N.H.L. and Orange Bowl is based on the sports interests of its cardholders.
“We don’t really have a sports marketing strategy, but what we have is a very close focus on our customers,” she said. “They are passionate hockey and college football fans.”
She added that that company did not feel impeded by beginning its sponsorship after the start of season.
Discover’s investment includes a rights fee paid to the league, advertising time on games on NBC and Versus, and the value of putting its promotional plans into action.
The deal is part of the $330 million in new sponsorships signed by the league since 2007. And it gives the All-Star Game its first presenting sponsors in a decade.
“That’s a big thing for us,” said Keith Wachtel, the league’s senior vice president for corporate sales and marketing. “They wanted a big-event platform and others are already taken.”
He added: “Discover’s business is rewards; experiences you cannot get without the card. To hockey fans, if you want to do X, Y and Z, you can’t do it without the Discover card.”