Now that we're in the off-season, there's much less to talk about on the football front, so we need other topics to keep us occupied. Last year, the stadium kept us busy, but that seems to have mostly died down (and let us never speak of the stadium in this thread again). I thought maybe it would be fun/worthwhile to talk about merchandising (if only money didn't matter, but alas, the team needs it and merchandise brings it in).
So I'm wondering, what are some merchandising ideas that you've had that you wish the TiCats or CFL would/should produce? (aside from the obvious things like t-shirts and hats) Anything you'd buy in a heartbeat if the team was selling it?
Here are some of my other ideas. None of them are very original. Most of them are based on things I've seen while going about my daily business. I don't know if they're any good, but I figure it can't hurt to put them out there. Maybe they've even been done before and I just missed it.
(1) Beach towels and swim suits -- there's only one game per week. That's 6 days for the beach during the summer. Take your TiCat pride with you. (Some western teams had this last year).
(2 a) Earlier this year, Chapters/Indigo was selling an umbrella with an image of the parliamentary library on the inside. How about an umbrella with an image of Ivor Wynne on the inside?
(2 b) Kid's umbrella done up to look like one of the mascots. At Shoppers Drug Mart, they had some umbrellas done up to look like various animals. For example, one was a gold fish with little extra bits sewn on for the fins, eyes, etc. Make a gold coloured umbrella and sew on extra bits to look like TC's or Stripe's ears, nose, etc.
(3, also for kids) I was at Michaels, the arts and crafts store, and found a felt hat that was done up to look like a tiger (I have a picture of myself wearing it, but I'm not going to post it here). Do that, but in TiCat colours and, like the umbrella.
(4) TiCat themed gear for other sports/athletics (other than arm-chair quarterbacking). The team has the Cops and Cats basketball program. Could they sell replicas of the basketball jerseys? I run to keep fit. I thought it would be cool to have some TiCat style running gear. I own some Reebok running shirts, so the they're capable of making it. I imagine lots of TiCat fans are also hockey fans. How about a hockey sweater? Cycling gear (maybe in partnership with the National Cycling Centre in Hamilton). Obviously, they can't do every sport, though.
(5) TiCat/CFL calendar. This one just came to me today, when I was visiting one of those calendar places that pops up at the malls around Christmastime. There was a Major League Lacrosse calendar there (as well as a bunch of different NHL and NFL teams... and maybe teams from other sports too). MLL is a much younger league with fewer teams and fewer fans. If MLL thinks it worth their efforts to sell a calendar there, then the older and bigger CFL and/or TiCats ought to be able to as well. If they do this, get in touch with those calendar places and push the product there. (see whiny rant on the same topic in the CFL Talk forum).
How about, simply getting a large selection of current CFL merchandise in sport chek stores across the country?
Sport chek is owned by the current calgary stampeders owner, so you think the 2 would go hand-in-hand, yet, sport check barely carries any CFL stuff, even during the season.
Almost every city has a sport chek. I'd imagine merchandise sales would increase if people could find it.
There must be a reason other pro sports leagues are more prominant in department stores and sporting good outlets,
could it be that their stocks are produced in large numbers by those leagues, and the CFL and its teams do not make that investment , because of the risk items wont sell?
On a side note, instead of asking for your ideas, I could have just said "Go to the Rider section of www.cflshop.ca. Which of those things would you buy if the there were TiCat versions of them?" Boy do they ever have a lot of merch.
It was actually neither. It was a garden gnome, shoulder down, running the ball! I would have brought it home, but the neighbors would have lynched me!
I want the team to get those sweet-looking nylon coats that the Stamps are Argos have. I had a 49ers one when I was a kid and I loved it. My Dad still has his Bills one from 1992. I'd love to get a nice black, nylon coat with 'TIGER-CATS' across the front in big gold letters. That would look awesome.