Throughout the NHL and NBA Playoffs we have seen how painstakingly teams have looked to drum up fan unity. Banners, new songs, updated songs, towels and now a sea of same colored tee shorts…no matter whether you are eight seeds or one…have adorned the arenas from Vancouver to Miami. Teams or presenting sponsors have written off the thousands of dollars in swag, with more to come as teams progress. The visual of a sea of white in Miami or green on Boston has had an amazing visual effect and unifying feel for the games thus far, and no doubt for the most part the level of play and excitement in both the NHL and the NBA Playoffs has been very, very high, with probably the best to come.
However in that sea of color is an idea to maybe be a little different and push an agenda not just of fandemonium but of cause support. In addition to sporting team colors, maybe a sea of pink for breast cancer support, blue for autism or prostate cancer etc, all amongst the hoopla of the playoffs. The teams in both leagues have a great national platform now, from TNT to Versus to NBC to ESPN to ABC, and using that platform for something a little unusual, cause related marketing and messaging would be very powerful and at no distraction to the players. It would be a bit out of the norm but very noteworthy for a team or teams to sho. cause-related support outside of their PSA’s, with a leave behind that every fan in the building would cherish and have as a keepsake with a very powerful message.. Furthermore there might be brands that are offsetting the playoff sponsorship package who would actually like the double pop…playoff spending and cause marketing…all ties into a giveaway and with no loss of message for anyone. It would be different, and would send a message from team to fan that yes, this is THE most important time of the year for the team, but that time and that commitment t. community is no less than at any other point. A great mix and the best platform to showcase.
Just an idea.
