News Hawthorn and Adidas part ways in 2022…what next?

[Ned Ryerson]

Whether you like it or not people buy brand names though it’s a fact of life . And people here are correct in saying that our merchandise dept will take a hit and they are a huge contribution to the clubs overall bottom line hopefully the Skechers deal in $$ is big enough to cover this otherwise it’s basically a poor financial decision on the club’s behalf.

If the guernseys are of good enough quality and they don't botch the colour scheme - people will buy them regardless of who made them. Same with the merchandise. There are a large number of people each year who get shirty that the training gear/press gear are largely never in traditional Hawthorn colours. Who's to say Skechers don't nail the brief and have a line of merchandise that people get into. The only Hawthorn clothing I have bought since I bought my last guernseys about 8-9 years ago (still standing so see no need to replace) were the retro HFC Finance t-shirts who are made by Playcorp. Now do Playcorp dominate the t-shirt landscape, is it a youth-orientated brand? No - but they made a tshirt that I liked the look of so I bought them. Would they have been any better sellers if ascolour made them? Probably not.

The sheer volume of AFL club related merchandise that is absolutely tacky/cheap is overwhelming. The sheer volume of Adidas merchandise I didn't buy because I didn't want to spend $100 on a bright orange polyester shirt with a Hawks logo on it was also fairly sizable. You are assuming that Skechers are only going to produce some Hawthorn coloured loafers and that's it. All I am saying is maybe let's wait to see what they produce, if they are named the sponsor/manufacturer, before we lose our collective minds about it.

 

[hawkmang]

Well this all but confirms it…

 

[Ned Ryerson]

View attachment 1501649Well this all but confirms it…
View attachment 1501648

And people say this brand isn't sexy!

 

[Bremner20]

View attachment 1501649Well this all but confirms it…
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Ok I take it all back they’re the bomb !!!!

 

[The Kid 23]

skechers have taken the front of shirt logo space given up by ISC for a fee who will just make the merchandise and look after retail

 

[Bremner20]

skechers have taken the front of shirt logo space given up by ISC for a fee who will just make the merchandise and look after retail

When did we ever have ISC on our shirts ? I can’t recall .

 

[hamohawk1]

I highly doubt the hawks just took this based on the highest $$$ amount. There would be a variety of clauses and initiatives that will work both ways to assist the club and the brand.

FWIW this will not change anything regarding buying next years gurnsey or any merch, it will be very similar to the Adidas product just made in a different section of the factorie/s

 

[KermitJagger]

I'm sure there were many people who would have laughed at the idea of buying a Kia that would have eaten those words when they hired some big name European designers and then brought out the Stinger, same with Skoda which you see everywhere now. Brands evolve.

 

[Bremner20]

I'm sure there were many people who would have laughed at the idea of buying a Kia that would have eaten those words when they hired some big name European designers and then brought out the Stinger, same with Skoda which you see everywhere now. Brands evolve.

Yes that’s true but they built their brand first then people got on board . There as no one sponsored by them when all they offered was that cheap trashy little hatchback they first bought out .They started bringing out a decent range then the Aus Open hooked up and they’ve gone from strength to strength ( in the case of Kia ) but it’s a fair point you make .

 

[Rioli magic]

45 countries are on the brink of famine and there’s outrage at the thought of Skechers sponsoring a football club.

 

[The Kid 23]

When did we ever have ISC on our shirts ? I can’t recall .

No ISC haven't had a link with the Hawks previously. Skechers will be using the ISC factories and utilise the club teamwear business model from ISC. So, you could say are partnership between the brands, but the consumer will believe it’s all Skechers!

 

[Sixpence]

45 countries are on the brink of famine and there’s outrage at the thought of Skechers sponsoring a football club.

So because bad shit happens in the world we can't discuss trivial matters?

 

[Iceman!]

45 countries are on the brink of famine and there’s outrage at the thought of Skechers sponsoring a football club.

Riiiiiiiight so supporters should never be outraged over any games, umpiring calls, league decisions or anything either.

 

[Bremner20]

No ISC haven't had a link with the Hawks previously. Skechers will be using the ISC factories and utilise the club teamwear business model from ISC. So, you could say are partnership between the brands, but the consumer will believe it’s all Skechers!

To be honest it wouldn’t be so bad from a merchandise marketing perspective if we just stuck with the ISC name too not nearly as good as adidas , Puma , Nike etc but still 10 times better than this idea .

 

[badgrill]

Under Armour were the leading suppliers of NFL and NBA compression gear though before they got into footwear . Skechers are a low end brand they do a commendable job providing a range for low socioeconomic groups to be able to afford shoes or a comfortable shoe that is suitable for nurses etc regardless of the look of them but as a shoe brand they sit along side aerosport hardly synonymous with athletes on almost $1mil pa .

I assume as a target market, you fit that last demographic you mentioned then?

 

[Bremner20]

I assume as a target market, you fit that last demographic you mentioned then?

It’s got nothing to do with me more the Hawthorn FC brand and if we’re in need of an apparel sponsor as we are and that’s the best we can do must be because we’re no longer seen as marketable as we once were .

 

[KermitJagger]

It’s got nothing to do with me more the Hawthorn FC brand and if we’re in need of an apparel sponsor as we are and that’s the best we can do must be because we’re no longer seen as marketable as we once were .

You have no idea if this is the best we can do!

 

[Bremner20]

You have no idea if this is the best we can do!

You would assume they wouldn’t take the 2nd best deal would you .

 

[Ned Ryerson]

You would assume they wouldn’t take the 2nd best deal would you .

You don’t have the foggiest what Skecher’s overall pitch and financial offer would be is more the point. If Nike wanted to be the manufacturer but at half the financial offer then I hope the club wouldn’t piss away money on account of some supporters’ vanity.

 

[offtherails9]

I don't really understand why it has become not okay for posters to be disappointed about a decision the club has (potentially) made? I haven't seen anyone 'chucking a tantrum' or anything of that nature. The fact is Sketchers is seen as a shitty brand with no real reputation in the sporting landscape. Naturally people will be annoyed at that.

In my opinion it's a St. Kilda level decision to make. I hope our gear looks good, and I would love to be proven wrong, but on face value, it kinda sucks.

 

[Mojo]

Is this all innuendo and hypotheticals or are Sketchers likely to be our next apparel sponsor?

 

[Ned Ryerson]

Is this all innuendo and hypotheticals or are Sketchers likely to be our next apparel sponsor?

Hawksnest are following them on Instagram so it's not crazy to assume it might be the case as a couple of posters on here are suggesting it is. For context - they don't follow other manufacturers such as UA, Nike, NB etc.

 

[Ned Ryerson]

I don't really understand why it has become not okay for posters to be disappointed about a decision the club has (potentially) made? I haven't seen anyone 'chucking a tantrum' or anything of that nature. The fact is Sketchers is seen as a shitty brand with no real reputation in the sporting landscape. Naturally people will be annoyed at that.

In my opinion it's a St. Kilda level decision to make. I hope our gear looks good, and I would love to be proven wrong, but on face value, it kinda sucks.

Disappointment is fine - throwing the toys out of the cot saying it is a 'poverty brand' or saying you will never buy any Hawthorn merchandise made by them, regardless of the actual look or quality of said merchandise, is in my mind pretty damn childish. I like Adidas - love the classic tracksuits. Was hoping there would be a good deal of Hawthorn related Adidas stuff but for mine it has always been a bit paint by numbers and is a bit pricey for what it is. Having read up on Skechers the past few days I hope it might be a good choice that yields benefits as we have a brand that is looking to grow and won't treat as one of their lowest value clients.

Would I prefer Nike - yes. Am I going to say that Skechers will be a disaster before even seeing what they produce for us - no, I am preferring to keep an open mind and hope that if the club has gone down that path that it will be a good outcome and something well thought through from all perspectives. Just because they make some ugly sandals and walking shoes doesn't mean that is going to reflect in what they do with the guernsey.

 

[Dipper]

Nothing like it ,if you look at the history of sporting brands Adidas and Puma were the original 2 brands started for professional sport back in 1948 by 2 German bros they had a fallout and then one started their own brand they called Puma they had the market cornered between the 2 of them all over the world in every sport until Nike came along in the early 70s ,Skechers has just always been a low end poverty type brand with poor quality. Hawthorn have a strong link to Puma actually we had a contract with them in the 60s and 70s when most other teams were adidas ,Hudson , Crimmins ,Knights and in modern times Sam Mitchell and Hodgey just some of the hawks players in their stable .

Quite a bit earlier than 1948, perhaps you've read a revisionist version of the company histories,
Adolph (Adi) and Rudolph(Rudi)Dassler were in fact both card carrying members of the Nazi party!

If their first names weren't a giveaway the naming of some of their soccer lines as 'Kampf' and 'Blitz' during the war probably was.

Rudolph was particularly fortunate to escape justice from the Americans who investigated him for being a member of the SS.

True story, Hitler used to chill in a pair of box fresh Stan Smiths whenever there was a quiet period on the Eastern front and no, he wouldn't have been seen in Skechers.



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[Dipper]

Nothing like it ,if you look at the history of sporting brands Adidas and Puma were the original 2 brands started for professional sport back in 1948 by 2 German bros they had a fallout and then one started their own brand they called Puma they had the market cornered between the 2 of them all over the world in every sport until Nike came along in the early 70s ,Skechers has just always been a low end poverty type brand with poor quality. Hawthorn have a strong link to Puma actually we had a contract with them in the 60s and 70s when most other teams were adidas ,Hudson , Crimmins ,Knights and in modern times Sam Mitchell and Hodgey just some of the hawks players in their stable .

Quite a bit earlier than 1948, perhaps you've read a revisionist version of the company histories,
Adolph (Adi) and Rudolph(Rudi)Dassler were in fact both card carrying members of the Nazi party!

If their first names weren't a giveaway the naming of some of their soccer lines as 'Kampf' and 'Blitz' during the war probably was.

Rudolph was particularly fortunate to escape justice from the Americans who investigated him for being a member of the SS.

True story, Hitler used to chill in a pair of box fresh Stan Smiths whenever there was a quiet period on the Eastern front and no, he wouldn't have been seen in Skechers.



Sent from my SM-A326B using BigFooty.com mobile app