Description
PNC Bank is tapping into an organic fan movement at PNC Park in Pittsburgh by serving up limited-edition ice cream (traffic) cones to Pittsburgh Pirates fans on select game days this season.
Created in partnership with AOR Arnold, the promotion pays tribute to the now famous “Hoist the Cone” rallying cry, which originated from a misprinted shirt reading “Hoist the Cone” instead of “Hoist the Colors.” Pirates fans embraced the unexpected slogan, and the orange traffic cone has become a recognizable symbol of Pittsburgh Pirates team spirit and local pride since.
With real traffic cones recently disappearing from city streets as fans hunted for gear to hoist at games, PNC stepped in to give the hometown crowd a safer, smarter, and far tastier way to join the celebration.
The activation brings PNC’s “Brilliantly Boring” brand platform to life in an unexpected way: as traffic cones began disappearing from Pittsburgh streets, longtime Pirates and PNC Park partner PNC -- and a known champion of avoiding unnecessary risks -- stepped in with a safer, smarter and far tastier way for fans to hoist the cone.
The collectible cone holders will be available inside PNC Park on August 16, September 6, and September 20, 2026, free with every waffle cone purchase, while supplies last.
This professional campaign titled 'Hoist the Cone' was published in United States in August, 2026. It was created for the brand: PNC Bank, by ad agency: Arnold. This Film and Integrated media campaign is related to the Finance and Sports industries and contains 4 media assets. It was submitted 18 minutes ago.
Credits
Sean McBride, Chief Creative Officer
Val Bettini, Chief Client Officer
Sarah Taylor, Managing Director
James Bray, Executive Creative Director
Kelly Nichols, VP, Creative Director
Patrick Harrington, VP, Creative Director
Amy Nagy, Creative Director, PR
Carissa Mak, Associate Creative Director
Laura Allen, SVP, Marketing Director
Sydney Southern, Marketing Director
Molly Whear, Senior Marketing Manager
Lucia Corso, VP, Strategy Director:
Ryan Vinnicombe, VP, Strategy Director
Patrick Driscoll, VP, Executive Producer
Jim Spadafora, Executive Print Producer
Kerry Lowe, Director, Project Management
Elyssa Ahern, Director, Business Affairs
Sammy Ouansa, Business Affairs Associate
PNC
Jenn Garbach, Chief Marketing Officer
Dresdyn Hefferen, SVP, Director of Brand Marketing & Paid Media
Amy Farrell, SVP, Group Marketing Manager
Megan Gilson, SVP, Client and Community Relations Director
Molly Sapienza, SVP & Group Head, Corporate Sponsorships
Sara Benzino, VP, Marketing Manager Sr.
Kelsey Peart, VP, Regional Marketing
Olivia Lammel, Communications Director
Dana Good, VP Regional Communications
Prick Boston, Corporate Sponsorships Lead
PIRATES
Andy Goebel, VP, Corporate Partnerships
Katie Shockey, Director, Corporate Partnerships Activation
Terry Rodgers, Sr. Director of Communications and Content
Sterling McLean, Director, Content & Production
Harrison Barden, Team Photographer
Marcelo Velazquez, General Manager (Aramark) - PNC Park
