The role played by promotional merchandise in helping businesses connect with the target audience is phenomenal. Every year, we hear amazing stories of how companies turned to giveaways in the hope of gaining new leads while retaining old customers. These giveaways were effectively used to introduce a new product, show appreciation to customers or spread brand awareness, among other marketing-friendly initiatives.
2017 witnessed several firms opting for promotional merchandise to spread word about their products/services. Notable among them is the holiday initiative launched by the Seattle Seahawks.
By virtue of being the only NFL team from the Pacific Northwest region, the Seahawks have the support of fans from a huge geographical area, including from states such as Montana, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska, apart from some Canadian cities as well! These fans, also known as the ’12th Man’ (the Seahawks retired the #12 jersey in honor of fans more than 20 years ago), are a vociferous and loyal lot! So, it’s no wonder that the Seahawks launched a holiday gifting campaign for Christmas 2017 that lasted from December 18 to 22, 2017.
So, what was the Seahawks holiday gifting campaign about?
Seahawks collaborated with Uber and Fanatics to give fans an early and exciting Christmas gift. Back then, shoppers could buy merchandise for fans or add to their own collection through the following steps:
- Start the Uber Eats app (any time from 10am to 6pm)
- Search “Seahawks” to locate the Pro Shop store – Seattle Seahawks: Powered by Fanatics
iii. Browse through a collection of official gear such as jerseys, accessories, holiday items, and lots more!
After an order is placed, designated Uber drivers swiftly picked the merchandise from select Pro Shop locations and delivered them in time for the holidays. This isn’t Uber’s first promotional merchandise-related collaboration with an NFL team though. In the preceding years, Uber also teamed up with Chicago Cubs and LA Rams to distribute promotional merchandise. Seahawks fans loved the holiday initiative and are hoping for more such campaigns in 2018 and beyond. We are confident a lot of sports teams will come up with their own unique take on promotional merchandise as well.
Are you planning a marketing campaign that relies heavily on NFL promotional products? Or are you looking for a unique idea to kick-start your business’ marketing efforts in 2018? Get in touch with us for giveaway ideas or handy marketing tips for your brand! Our insights will help you take target audience interaction to a whole new level.