We see it in all hockey rinks and arenas from the stands or watching it on TV. The ads are all over the hockey field. They are on the boards, on the ice and even on the scoreboard. Ads play an important role in generating revenue and give advertisers a competitive playing field to promote their own products, much like how hockey teams compete against each other. Most of us don’t see it, but product advertising during a hockey game is just as fierce as the hockey game itself and to make things interesting, why not put ads on the players’ jerseys? I understand that there are mixed opinions on the idea, but there are many benefits to adding advertisements on t-shirts.
For companies like Bridgestone and Amp, who have had their stamps on Winter Classic logos in the past, advertising on t-shirts is branding at a higher level. T-shirt ads will create a perception about what brand of tire or type of energy or whatever ad fans will think of when watching their favorite team play. The same can happen in reverse. Whichever brand consumers will think of, they will also think of the team jersey they saw that ad in simultaneously. It’s a visual synchronicity that can potentially be well supported if the marketing plot is set right.
There must be a strict limit on what type of ads will be displayed on official NHL jerseys and where to display them. I think the ads would be placed right on the upper arm of the jersey, which is above the player’s number. Another decent spot for an ad is on the upper chest on the opposite side of where the captaincy logo is. Teams like the Detroit Red Wings, who have the captaincy logo on the upper right chest of the jersey instead of the left side like most other teams, have to place the ad on the left side of the jersey. instead of right. I think two ads on the upper chest are too busy for my liking, but one ad on the upper chest and two on the arm of the sweater with one on each side makes a lot of sense to me. I wouldn’t even mind an ad in the sweater doll section for the icing on the cake just to make it look like the NHL isn’t doing enough in the jersey ad campaign.
We’ve seen a lot of sponsors on the boards and on the courts and we know what brands they are, but what kind of advertisement deserves a place on the official player jersey of the NHL. Some ads will work on some computers and some won’t. For example; A Tim Horton ad will work great on an Ottawa Senators jersey, but not on a Florida Panthers jersey. Demographics play a very important role in the adjustment of the ads on the jerseys of each team. I think it would be interesting if each team had its own sponsor. For example; if we had three ads per sweater, that means we have ninety different sponsors and advertisers. It would be boring if there was only one advertiser for each jersey, but that could happen if that company wants to shell out big bucks.
Beer ads would be accepted as long as there are no beer logos on the kid-sized t-shirts they sell on Sportchek, as it’s politically incorrect. Health foods, auto companies, software companies, construction companies, certain manufacturers would be the type of advertisement genre that would be displayed on the sweaters. It would also be interesting if Facebook or Amazon jumped on that bandwagon, as it would generate excitement and attention among the general consumer, not just your average hockey fan. The amount of money that can be generated from this idea can be added to the tens of millions generated from advertising and promotional fees for the product and promotion in hockey itself.
