The Boston Celtics announced that a new company will replace the GE patch on their jerseys: Vistaprint.
Through the multi-year agreement, Vistaprint also will become the “exclusive marketing and design partner of the Boston Celtics,” beginning with the upcoming 2020-21 season.
In addition to having space on the team’s jerseys, Vistaprint also announced that it will work with the franchise and its Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation to boost small businesses in the region.
According to the press release, this means supporting local Boston-area businesses with “fan engagement and promotions,” as well as patch placement for other local sports teams, like the Maine Red Claws within the G-League, and CLTX Gaming within the NBA 2K League. This is the first time sponsor patches have been used in either league.
The company also detailed that it has raised $5 million in cash and product donations to support small businesses through mask sales, which it plans to continue for small businesses navigating the reopening process and maintaining safe protocols during the pandemic.
Vistaprint may be polarizing within the promotional products industry, but it’s still noteworthy to see promo represented in such a high-profile way and associated with a massive sports franchise. (Of related note, YETI will be the upcoming shirt sponsor on the newly-founded Austin FC in the MLS for the team’s inaugural season.)
“As a company with deep roots in the Boston area, we are thrilled to announce this partnership with our hometown team, the Boston Celtics,” Ricky Engelberg, chief marketing officer for Vistaprint, said in a statement. “Even more so, we’re proud to join up with the Celtics to shine a spotlight on the important role small businesses play here in our community and across the country. Though our partnership with the Celtics is just beginning, Vistaprint’s partnership with small businesses has been in place for more than 20 years. We are excited to use this new platform to help enhance that 20-year commitment in a way that we’ve never done before. This work has never been more important as small business owners face economic hardship brought on by the pandemic.”
It will be interesting to see if and how Vistaprint is integrated into the team’s stadium promotions and e-commerce sales moving forward. It will also be worth watching how Vistaprint’s “exclusive marketing and design” arrangement with the Celtics plays out. In October, Vistaprint announced that it had acquired 99designs, an advertising and design services platform, expanding its overall capabilities and positioning itself as more of a full-service agency.
