Strong, lasting, mutually beneficial relationships with outside constituencies is one of the “secrets” in my book 4 Secrets of High Performing Organizations. Customers are any organization’s most important outside constituency.
Check out this article that appeared in a recent Wall Street Journal…
Adidas Draws Blood for Rugby Fans
An autograph just doesn’t cut it anymore.
In New Zealand, German sportswear maker Adidas has launched a marketing campaign to bring fans closer to the country’s hugely popular All Blacks rugby team – by sharing samples of the players’ blood.
The blood, taken from every member of the national team, was mixed into the ink used to make a poster of the team given to fans who buy a $70.00 jersey made by Adidas. Each of the 8,000 posters comes with a certificate of authenticity…
“A signature is personal. But these guys sign a lot of autographs,” says Craig Waugh, the marketing manager for Adidas in New Zealand. “The DNA of the team is making it extremely personal”…
The campaign…has generated 95,000 hits to a website where fans can watch of video of players squirming as they donate blood for the ink…
To ally health concerns, the blood was boiled by the New Zealand Blood board and heated to nearly 250 degrees Fahrenheit for more than 15 minutes before it was added to the ink. Only trace amounts of the blood are on each poster…
Adidas says it is too early to measure the impact on overall sales, but the poster and jersey combos are now almost sold out.
Pretty interesting way of building a relationship with your customers – and pretty creative – it’s not just blood, it’s the DNA of the team. New Zealanders are fond of saying that “rugby is in the DNA of New Zealand”.
One of my proudest possessions is a fetish given to me by Bill Bush, a great New Zealand rugby player (he played over 60 matches for New Zealand). In 1995, Cathy and I – along with about 4,000 other rugby players, all over the age of 40 -- went to New Zealand to play in the Golden Oldies rugby festival. While we were there, we played a New Zealand over 40’s team that had eight former All Blacks. Needless to say, the score wasn’t even close. We were tromped. As a gesture of good will, the New Zealand guys decided to give an “opponent of the match” award to the player on the opposite team who they most respected. I was lucky enough to win it that day. It is something I treasure to this day.
I’m an American, who knows and respects All Blacks rugby. I treasure the award I received after competing against retired All Blacks. I can see why rugby fans in new Zealand would want a poster with the DNA of the All Blacks mixed into the ink.
On the other hand, I grew up in Pittsburgh. Reebok is the Steelers’ shoe company. If Adidas can sell out 8,000 posters that have the All Blacks’ DNA, I bet Reebok can sell a couple hundred thousand posters that have the Steelers’ DNA. On second thought, maybe not – but knowing Pittsburgh and how the fans love their Steelers, who knows?
That’s it for today. Thanks for reading. Log on to my website www.BudBilanich.com for more common sense. Check out my other blogs: www.CareerSuperStar.com for common sense advice on becoming the life and career star you are meant to be; and www.CommonSenseDay.com to learn more about Use Your Common Sense Day -- November 4, and to read stories of common sense in action.
I’ll see you around the web, and at Alex’s Lemonade Stand.
Bud
I found this post immensely inspiring - In fact, tomorrow morning I am going to mount the signed jersey of former Danish soccer star Per Pedersen on my office wall.
I treasure that jersey and the great story of a percieved 'over the hill' player that made it anyway it reminds me of.
Perseverance is one of the core values at the company I work for and I will have that in mind every time I look at it.
Posted by: Per Wendelboe | September 25, 2006 at 11:12 AM
The rock band KISS did the same thing back in the late 70's at a printing plant for their comic book "KISS meets the Phantom" each member of the band drew some blood and added it to the red ink for the comic book. I don't believe it was boiled or anything like that, and as a result, a couple of thousand kids got KISS fever that still continues to this day. But it's a novel concept.
Unfortunately, once a major marketing play like this is done once, if anyone else copies it (such as Reebok) then it loses it's impact, and the copier ends up looking like a copycat. Unique powerful marketing tricks have the most impact.
Still those sports fans are crazy, so you never know what they will buy...
Posted by: steve wasiura | September 26, 2006 at 06:13 AM