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Jersey or billboard?
Posted on April 19, 2012 at 2:00 pm
According to a recent New York Times article, if you’re in the NBA you soon might be asking this very question when looking at an official team jersey. Bulls and Celtics jerseys were recently tested in three new formats, each displaying “a corporate name or logo–and were sartorial harbingers of the NBA’s future”. Sandomir said the formats included putting ad space 1) in place of the team name, 2) below the player’s number or 3) on the jersey strap.While patch additions to jerseys isn’t unheard of for professional teams (for example, the Gary Carter memorandum on the Mets’ jerseys), this change would mark the first paid jersey marquee sponsorship for the NBA/MLB/NFL/NHL and would ultimately be solidifying a change in tradition for these leagues moving forward.
Based on the quote in the article from the Adam Silver (NBA’s deputy commissioner), a response from fans that is not 100% positive is being viewed with concern: “the N.B.A. is a global business and logos on jerseys are well-established in other sports and commonplace outside the U.S. Our goal isn’t to be the first major league to do it, but in the same way that virtually all arenas and stadiums now have naming rights deals, we recognize it’s only a matter of time [before jerseys become viable ad space].”
So what does this have to do with professional services branding? Ultimately it comes down to a universal advertising rule of thumb: put yourself in your clients’ shoes when considering outlets. Would they find the placement or execution of your branding offensive in any way, especially when going against tradition in a particular medium? Checking a client’s gut reaction can go a long way towards preventing an unfavorable response to branding campaigns.
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Comment from Michael April 20, 2012 at 10:06 am
Outstanding work, Ms. Booher!