They are some of the simplest yet fun and useful tangible collectibles…the rally towel. An easy way for brands to activate and fans to show their support at crucial times. They come in handy away from games for seat wiping, car cleaning and any one of thousands of ideas, and for the special ones, when the magic happens at a game, they serve as a useful reminder.
Heck there have even been stories of people collecting them and making them into blankets over time, and some brands have gone far enough to attach coupons of QR cards that activate a giveaway triggered by a special moment.
Yet for all the implementation, the idea of content inclusion is usually left on the table. Most times they are a basic color with some words printed and a logo attached, not much else. They are a great visual, and a welcome site, even if the idea of waiving white towels is well, a sign of surrender (which is why I cringe when the white towels go into the air by home fans sometimes).
So what to do? Well, the Washington Capitals came up with a fun, inclusive idea this week, announcing that they will let fans design their rally towels for a mid-February game. Pretty simple, the fan designs and submits the template in the color they choose and does what every good designer does…explains their narrative of choice. The winners will be used in game, replete with all the accolades that come with it, and with a backstory the team can share, especially since the sponsor is Medstar Health. User Generated Content, right from the user!
Now what will the Caps get? Hopefully hundreds of original pieces of art, which may even be able to take up a display or the walls of Capital One Arena. Maybe some will be made into digital art as well, maybe others will have the amazing narrative that really highlights capitals fandom, maybe others will inspire players or coaches or management as well. Maybe some will be funny, some irreverent.
The possibilities are endless. Simple, visual, fan involved, actionable…and fun creativity handled by the consumer that tells a narrative. No losers, potentially many winners, and a new sellable category that’s a twist on a tried-and-true idea.
The Caps and Medstar Health score again, well played promo for the fans, by the fans.
