NFLPA, Reebok, and Champs unveil jersey marketing campaign

Posted on July 28th, 2010. Written by Emmett Jones.

Reebok, the NFLPA, and Champs Sporting Goods store are ready to unveil a new marketing campaign featuring NFL players.

The campaign, which will begin next month, focuses on the players and the importance of their jersey numbers (i.e. Maurice Jones-Drew wearing #32 because all 32 teams initially passed on signing him),

The print and retail ads are part of a collaboration among longtime NFL sponsor Reebok, the NFL Players Association and the Champs sporting goods chain that will try to energize sales of the apparel category dubbed names-and-numbers after years of focus on women, performance and lifestyle merchandise.

The campaign, running through September, will have a dedicated Web site with video footage of players like New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning and safety Kenny Phillips, Kansas City Chiefs running back Thomas Jones, and other stars talking about the origins of the numbers they wear. Fans can upload video clips about their favorite numbers (or the ones they wear during their own games) and enter a contest to win NFL swag.

More than 600 Champs stores will get extensive signage, crew T-shirts and POP for the seven-figure program under the tagline, “Every number has a story. What’s yours?” McMahon said Reebok plans to make it an annual event, eventually expanding to include more players and more tales. (via BrandWeek)

If nothing else, the NFLPA usually does a good job of marketing individual players to the general public, and this campaign appears to be no exception.  Maybe more subtlety, the campaign will give NFL fans another chance to humanize and relate to various NFL players; something that certainly won’t hurt the players’ position amongst the fans in the ongoing labor dispute.

image via BrandWeek

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