Part of the fun about the Winter Classic (at least from the perspective of an advertising/marketing professional) is the big unveiling of the vintage-inspired jerseys and other official merchandise specifically for the game. The NHL and teams build up the releases of the merchandise, which are then just produced for a limited amount of time (which I believe may just be through the end of the season). People go crazy and buy them all up. The last Wings Winter Classic jersey is still really popular.
Without getting into the drama of this season's lockout, the 2013 Winter Classic ended up being canceled before we ever got a glimpse of the special jerseys.
Earlier this year the lockout ended and we went back to playing hockey. Last week during the Red Wings Maple Leafs game, the NHL unveiled the 2014 Winter Classic designs for the jerseys and for the additional merchandise like hats, tshirts, and other fun stuff.
The official merchandise includes this hat:
Notice anything interesting about the hat?
NHL Winter Ass
Yes, here is the NHL's Ass Hat.
My questions is: How the hell did this design make it all the way to production?
I always assumed that dozens of people would be reviewing and signing off on all the official designs to ensure spelling, continuity, brand consistency, etc. But apparently not. Or did really no one ever notice this?!
I'd expect this from some of the non-licenced products that you see sold outside the arenas and at convenience stores but this is the official design sold at Joe Louis (and I'm assuming at the Maple Leafs' arena) for $30. This could be the hat we see players wearing.
I picked this hat up earlier this month at the Joe as a laugh but it really has me thinking...
Anyone else see this hat or have any thoughts on the topic? Am I just blowing this way out of proportion or is this a huge marketing and branding blunder?
