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

[eldorado]

Good news...I'm hearing Dolce & Gabbana are actually doing our strip next year.

I'm liking their new take on the Hawthorn tracksuit too...

 

[Baz_hawk]

If Skechers see the Hawks as a launching pad for growing their clothing division then more power to them. A lot of people have strong brand opinions on here but at the end of the day the shit they wear is all coming out of a Chinese sweat shop.

Until an official announcement, it's all speculation anyway.

 

[Boot Studder]

I'm liking their new take on the Hawthorn tracksuit too...

Dang it all! Does Monkey know what he’s missing?

 

[CobberRodgers]

the rank and file member won't give two hoots about which company is making the apparel.

I’m not buying or wearing anything with Skechers on it.

I’m actually going to load up on Adidas stuff for my 1 year old in various sizes for a few years just in case this eventuates. Not a chance I’d be suiting him up in anything Skechers branded either.

I’m an Adidas fan.

To each their own though and I get that I may or may not be in the majority concerning Skechers as a brand, but I’d be pretty confident I am.

 

[Bremner20]

If true, this is an abomination.

Skechers exist at the ridiculed extremity of the sportswear scene. Their range is ferociously ugly and they’re hardly known for high performance gear. Kids simply wouldn’t be seen dead in it, compared to the Nikes/Adidases of the world. Heck it’d even put an end to my annual buying of club polos, jackets, etc. Dismiss it as label queening if you want but batten down for the mighty drop in merch sales.

As has been mentioned, don’t underestimate the player-drawing power of commercial opportunities with big sporting brands. They’d know full well Skechers is a brand they couldn’t even give away to their daggy uncles.

Why aren’t our branding people getting a veto here, over our financiers glibly cashing the big cheques?

From Audi to Skechers is a godawful diminishing of brand.

Exactly my thoughts a lot of people here seem to think it doesn’t matter but being associated with such a trashy brand kills our own brand .

 

[Ned Ryerson]

Yes this Skechers thing could really run the risk of embarrassing the brand…

 

[Xtreme]

Yes this Skechers thing could really run the risk of embarrassing the brand…

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The best guernsey aside from the original!!

 

[Ned Ryerson]

The best guernsey aside from the original!!

I actually liked it, but was firmly in the minority it seemed!

 

[Bremner20]

They remind me of puma when we signed on with them back in the 90s.
Bit player that doesn't look like much now, one big sponsor (such as puma with Usain bolt) and it'll be huge.

But it could also go the opposite way and be st kilda with piping hot

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 .

 

[Jaeger007]

Sketchers?? Really???
Are we now buying from the Salvo’s??Won’t be buying anything Sketchers related. Disgusting if true

 

[Hawk Hawkins]

Are you seriously comparing Manchester United to Hawthorn? The difference between the two is probably close to a hundred times the supportership.

Either way, Skechers as a brand is worth about $10b AUD so it's roughly the same size as Puma and growing faster. Not even close to comparable to being sponsored by The Reject Shop.

plus surely the reject shop has a deal struck with * already, right?

 

[offtherails9]

I think it's the opposite, most AFL clubs are moving away from the big players because they really don't seem to give much of a s**t about the relatively fringe market of the AFL.

On the other hand, businesses like Cotton On and Skechers are desperate to break into the market so they'd throw big deals at clubs to make it happen.

I'm pretty sure having a deal with a Skechers doesn't mean that the players are all required to wear Skechers boots so I'm not sure what the issue is.

That's an interesting take, as we've seen two of the bigger clubs recently sign with Nike. Essendon, another big club have signed with Under Armor who are a medium sized brand but do have respect and some prestige in the sports industry. Then you've got clubs like Richmond and Carlton (and North) with a large sporting brand in Puma. West Coast and Port with Castore and Macron respectively which aren't familiar to the Aussie audience but reportedly are good brands around the world. And now we're going to sign with bloody Sketchers lol.

It’s out there, sure - but it’s not quite that bad. Doing a bit of reading and Skechers is growing in the US - it’s basically the same size as UA and has a fairly decent market share in the US.

We would probably be their first foray into kit manufacturing so you wouldn’t be so low down the pecking order like we are presently with Adidas who’ve done * all with our brand for 9 years. So you get a growing company with a strong foundation who would be looking to get this right to then sell it to other teams globally. The more I’m reading about their corporate profile the less I’m worried about this being true. Geelong have their kits manufactured by bloody Cotton On and it’s done little to hurt their ability to sign players.

I appreciate the positivity mate but Under Armor are a fairly well known and well liked brand within the sports industry, Sketchers definitely isn't that. The Cotton On comparison is a little different considering they are a local brand in Geelong a bit like how Ford sponsor them.

Anyway, if it's true I'm pretty embarrassed for the club. As I said earlier in this post, a lot of clubs have moved away from the lesser known ISC/BLK brand as the bigger brands have again become interested in sponsoring teams, and we are going to move into this territory. Strange decision.

 

[KermitJagger]

That's an interesting take, as we've seen two of the bigger clubs recently sign with Nike. Essendon, another big club have signed with Under Armor who are a medium sized brand but do have respect and some prestige in the sports industry. Then you've got clubs like Richmond and Carlton (and North) with a large sporting brand in Puma. West Coast and Port with Castore and Macron respectively which aren't familiar to the Aussie audience but reportedly are good brands around the world. And now we're going to sign with bloody Sketchers lol.



I appreciate the positivity mate but Under Armor are a fairly well known and well liked brand within the sports industry, Sketchers definitely isn't that. The Cotton On comparison is a little different considering they are a local brand in Geelong a bit like how Ford sponsor them.

Anyway, if it's true I'm pretty embarrassed for the club. As I said earlier in this post, a lot of clubs have moved away from the lesser known ISC/BLK brand as the bigger brands have again become interested in sponsoring teams, and we are going to move into this territory. Strange decision.

Honestly if you care enough about this to be embarrassed it's your problem and not the clubs. Personally couldn't care what brand is on the jumper provided they get the look right and they're lining the clubs pockets properly.

 

[Ned Ryerson]

Honestly if you care enough about this to be embarrassed it's your problem and not the clubs. Personally couldn't care what brand is on the jumper provided they get the look right and they're lining the clubs pockets properly.

This. The bizarre hand-wringing on here over a shoe brand makes me wonder how many people have had a Skecher sleep with their significant other.

 

[eldorado]

A Skecher took my baby!

 

[Ned Ryerson]

A Skecher took my baby!

Can’t wait for the movie about this - Evil Sandals.

 

[wahawk]

Call me a snob but Audi / Adidas to Nissan / Sketchers in a few short years is grim.

We could always go back to Wynvale Wines & see if they are keen. Or maybe that restaurant that sponsored our shorts a few years ago.

 

[offtherails9]

Honestly if you care enough about this to be embarrassed it's your problem and not the clubs. Personally couldn't care what brand is on the jumper provided they get the look right and they're lining the clubs pockets properly.

Strange thing to say. If the money from the company is there that’s great. But the potential loss of merchandise sales and global connections need to be taken into account too.

 

[Mercy Seat]

This. The bizarre hand-wringing on here over a shoe brand makes me wonder how many people have had a Skecher sleep with their significant other.

Look on the scale of things to get worked up about, it’s definitely on the lower end, and most of us would accept us playing in leotards if we were winning flags in them every year.

But it’s still something to raise an eyebrow over, particularly when you’re quite familiar with the impact of brand alignment through work etc. I think it’s quite normal to have concerns, but hey, will watch this space.

 

[Xtreme]

Hawthorn are going to be the trendsetters of 2023 and opt for body painting the players as opposed to wearing guernseys. Beat Geelong at their own game (oiling up the players like they're on Baywatch!)

 

[MasterSamurai]

Every Hawthorn supporter has the right to make a comment about anything related to the club, hardly hand-wringing.
Btw, Skechers' nothing like puma!!! It's a no biggie when put in context but there's nothing wrong with wanting the club you support religiously been tied with the higher end of ' Global Marketing '!
Nike, Adidas, Puma, under armour, ASICS ... For all their occasional slip ups, are still for me the best brands. I mean I do own a sports store in EU... Not talking down from high chair or anything but those are the brands I'd like my club to be associated with if had choice. That's all

 

[KermitJagger]

Strange thing to say. If the money from the company is there that’s great. But the potential loss of merchandise sales and global connections need to be taken into account too.

Strange comment

 

[Iceman!]

On the bright side if we do sign with Skechers i will save a ton of money, no more adding to my jumper collection each year.

 

[Stottzy]

People do realise that Skechers are the 3rd highest shoe brand in the US (ahead of Adidas in 4th place) and sit 5th worldwide. Hardly a pov company.

 

[Stottzy]

....... Then again