SKC 20th Anniversary Promotion

Objective:

• Create a unique marketing plan to capitalize on the 20th anniversary of Sporting Kansas City (aka Kansas City Wizards circa 1996)
• Launch a customized product range during SKC’s home match vs Colorado Rapids
• Find a workaround to service the consumer (SKC and SKC fans)

ACTION:

• SKC wanted to pay homage to their 20-year history with one major request: a customized jersey.
  • Jersey creation takes a minimum of 18 months to create a unique piece
  • Custom pieces must hit a minimum order quantity to get produced
  • MLS league guidelines DO NOT allow teams to wear customized pieces on field — only licensed product
  • SKC wanted to pay homage to their 1996 multicolor jersey, a very complex design
  • Wanted 1,000 units with lead time of 3 months
• I got creative
  • I found a black inline style in the quantities and size run needed
  • I worked with SKC and our graphics team in Boston to create the exact item the team wanted
  • I shipped the product and the approve graphics to our Indianapolis warehouse to customize the inline product
  • I worked with MLS to get approval for the piece
  • Finally, I worked with our sales team to get the proper royalties and pricing
• The units were produced, shipped in full, and on time.

RESULT:

• The jerseys sold out within 5 minutes of doors opening
  • Fastest sellout in team history
  • SKC VP of Consumer Product later said: “only ordering 1,000 was the biggest career mistake I’ve made.”
  • Reddit couldn’t find them either
• The team then placed an additional order for 10,000 units to be created and shipped in waves.
• Team press release for the event