Play Like a Champion

In a 2013 Forbes article, Mark Stewart, former executive director of the Tailgating Industry Association, estimated that fans spend as much as $20 billion on tailgating for football and $35 billion on auto racing annually. Adding in baseball, hockey, soccer and outdoor concerts, you’ve got a lot of opportunities for tailgating and cheering. This provides end-buyers with myriad ways to advertise their brands, and a wealth of different products for distributors to provide them.

To learn more about the ways distributors can sell new and original products that end-users will keep, we spoke to Julia Pinzler, marketing manager, and Shaun Hood, vice president of marketing for WOWLine, Jericho, N.Y.; and Brock Taylor, director of content marketing for BamBams, Woodbridge, Va.

Show Your Colors

Fans want to show their teams’ colors both before the game and during the action. Taylor said that there are two types of products fans seek. The first enhance cheering experiences. “This type of product gives you a reason to stand up and make some noise when your team does something good on the field or court,” he said. “Our BamBams noisemakers are the prime example.”

Hood said that face paint, a new addition to WOWLine’s product line, has also been a hit. “We have a three-pack of red, white and blue face paint that is easy to go on and washes right off, as well as individual face paint markers in blue, red, orange and white,” he said. “They’re great for supporting your team.”

Fill the Stands

Watching a stadium full of fans all waving a rally towel or donning the same T-shirt adds to the whole experience. Think of the vuvuzela horns from the 2010 World Cup, where it sounded like the stadium was full of bees.

Hood described specific promotions that unite the crowd with cheering items. “One item that is more for nighttime events, but we sell them for use in arenas, (like hockey games and basketball games,) is foam light sticks,” he said, “They’re about 19" long, and we do a wrap on them, and they light up in either an individual color or multicolor. They look fantastic in indoor events and at night when everyone is waving these foam sticks.”