Patchwork
Never say never.
Reports claim that NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman once proclaimed the league would never allow brands to have logo patches on team jerseys, but a pandemic can change many things. (For the record, I keep changing many pre-pandemic "nevers," a dozen and counting as of this writing, so I empathize with the commish.)
Recently we have seen a flood of new deals as the league's marketers shrewdly capitalize on the opportunity that the NBA started in 2017 and futbol began in 1817 (or so it seems). So the move by the NHL seemed to me like a natural, and probably more lucrative, by-product of their helmet logo test.?
So today, we have a flurry of deals. Canada Life on the Jets jersey. Gila River Resorts on the Arizona Coyotes uni. Dairy Farmers of Ontario on the Maple Leafs jersey. Rapid7 on the Bruins jersey. RBC with the Habs.?
I have some questions for our community:
I am old enough to remember when the rink boards and ice were clean and brandless, and thinking how odd it was when I saw European hockey, and they had ads on the boards and helmets on every player. Yep, that is a Black & White memory; due to its age, we didn't have a colour TV at that point. But given the history of marketing soccer (sorry, Imran) teams in Europe with logos and third jersey concepts long before North America, it made sense that their hockey teams followed suit.
So first the NBA, now the NHL. Will MLB follow suit? The NFL? (I suspect not for the latter, given their TV contracts.) But the sports marketing world is shifting beneath our feet daily with NIL, Web3, crypto, NFTs, and sports betting. So is it no wonder those changes are now front and center for the fastest sport on earth?
Revenue Strategy | Market research & insights | Consulting
7 个月It was bound to happen and will continue in the other North American leagues. They're white space assets that have tremendous value: sponsorship revenue, activation opps, licensing deals, etc. As long as it's executed in a thoughtful way, I really don't have a problem with it. Leagues will continue to expand their asset footprint and it's just a matter of time before we see more of these similar (or not so similar) initiatives.
Be your best self and view "NO" as an opportunity!!
2 年The only other patch that belongs on the front of a jersey near the Maple Leaf is an “A” or a “C”. Don’t turn our game into the Premier League, where you sometimes can’t tell which team is even playing?
| Think. Dream. Exist | ????
2 年Long over the due! Point blank.
President at Kroeger Inc
2 年Hate it Mark! Should not be on the front. Put on sleeve or back. Even shoulder. Not lapels or anywhere on front
Executive Coach, Keynote Speaker & Board Director
2 年Having worked in the Licensed business for many years, this always felt like a When not an If. I don't mind them - size, placement and colour are all fairly innocuous. As long as they NEVER commit the ultimate sell-out sin of replacing the chest crest, I'm OK with it.