Avery Dennison has worked with Wolverhampton Wanderers FC to produce a series of personalised digitally connected team shirts as part of a project designed to increase the football team’s engagement with its fans in both the UK and the USA.
The project is based around a documentary on Wolves’ 1967 championship final at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum which did much to popularise soccer in the US. As branding partners, Avery Dennison has created a limited edition digitally-connected jersey to commemorate the team’s relationship with US soccer. Fans will be able to scan the official smart embellishments on their jersey to reveal a unique Wolves experience.
The jerseys will debut at premiere events in Los Angeles, California and Wolverhampton, UK to launch the documentary 1967: When LA Wolves Conquered the USA. The technology uses ‘smart embellishments’, which are digital watermarks embedded into heat transfers of the names and numbers on the jerseys. These digital triggers can be scanned using smartphone cameras, much like a QR code or NFC tag, and will be linked to online content. The link destination can be changed over time; initially, it leads to a page about the project and a trailer for the documentary.
Avery Dennison will also support Wolves by offering application and personalisation of names and numbers at the events. This specialised service will draw on the capabilities of Avery Dennison’s Embelex, a suite of solutions for on-garment branding already used by sports teams around the world, including the UK Premier League, NBA Sacramento Kings, Cleveland Cavaliers and NFL San Francisco 49ers.
Simon Allen, EU aftermarket commercial director at Avery Dennison, said. ‘Wolverhampton Wanderers have a rich history that Avery Dennison is now a part of. Sports apparel is a conduit for team spirit, and this is not only a moment to celebrate history, but to make it, supporting the Wolves story using our expertise in team sports apparel and digital embellishment technology. We’re excited about creating a new breed of jersey, designed to open new innovative ways to engage with fans.’
Russell Jones, general manager, marketing & commercial growth at Wolverhampton Wanderers added, ‘Identity is at the heart of the fan experience, and this collaboration adds yet another level to an already rich history for Wolves. We are pleased to be working with Avery Dennison to bring a glorious journey that ended with one of the greatest finals ever seen on American soil to life again, and we have the opportunity to offer our supporters a lasting memento through this exclusive shirt.’
