Monday morning, the Fanatics-managed online NFL Shop sent out emails to fans of the Saints, Titans, Falcons and Steelers advertising branded apparel under the header “Conference Championship Bound.” Makes sense, you know. Best to capitalize on fan enthusiasm the day after a big win. That’s pretty much normal procedure for post-game marketing, right? Then why did fans of these teams take to Twitter to complain about the emails?
We’re no detectives here at Promo Marketing, but we’d venture to say that it could have something to do with the fact that all of these teams lost their Divisional Round matchups this past weekend, some rather heartbreakingly so.
NFL Shop has made a terrible, terrible mistake. As if this wasn't the worst Monday already. -dc pic.twitter.com/O2bsdOmUTE
— Canal St. Chronicles (@SaintsCSC) January 15, 2018
It’s no secret that NFL fans are incredibly passionate, especially during a playoff season when tempers run high and emotions hit every low and high imaginable. So when these fans woke up Monday morning to emails falsely celebrating their teams’ fictional victories, it’s safe to say that reactions ranged from disappointment to anger. Talk about adding insult to injury.
Imagine being a Saints fan who, having struggled to sleep due to recurring nightmares of Stefon Diggs’ last-second game winning touchdown, had the pleasure of waking up to a message claiming that their team had actually won the game. What if that fan momentarily believed that message, convinced that the gut-wrenching loss had in fact been only a nightmare, only to check the news excitedly for another rude awakening. No one wants to relive heartbreak, but that’s exactly what these poor fans were forced to do.
Now they've sent an apology… -dc pic.twitter.com/Vpdrqc6Doy
— Canal St. Chronicles (@SaintsCSC) January 15, 2018
Unsurprisingly, Doug Mack, CEO of Fanatics, offered an apology that afternoon, acknowledging the disappointment the false advertising may have caused for some unfortunate fans. But the damage was done, the inadvertent coup de grâce delivered, the sword of defeat plunged irretrievably into the cold, blood-soaked earth.
OK, all hyperbole aside, this isn’t a catastrophic mistake, and the apology is a nice, genuine touch. These fans will get over it, just like they’ll get over the disappointing outcome of their teams’ playoff efforts. But this was an easy mistake to avoid, and for Fanatics, a brand that is currently working incredibly hard to grow itself on the international stage, it’s an image-damaging mistake it definitely can’t afford to repeat.
Point being, always have safeguards in place when it comes to sending marketing emails, especially mass-emails that can reach the gaze of thousands of recipients in a matter of seconds. Remember, once it’s been sent, there’s no going back, and the Internet can be a cruel, cold place. Don’t believe us? Just ask Sean Payton if he’d like to take this gaffe back.
