I can clearly remember growing up in Scotland in the 70’s and waiting for the start of every new soccer season. That meant new packs of custom made stickers being released, all of which bore the names and faces of the biggest and best players in the game. The custom made stickers then went into a big book which was separated by team, with the goal being the first one to fill that book to entirety. That set off a whole lot of wheeling and dealing as kids tried to swap their doubles for those one or two custom made stickers that would complete the collection.
What we didn’t realize back then was that those custom made stickers were just as important to the teams represented as they were to us. It was a perfect way for them to get their team logo out there, and to let everyone know that there might be some great new players that fan’s might want to pay to see. Sports franchises put a lot of thought and money into the design of their logos, and not just as a way to separate themselves from other teams. A well designed logo will look great on custom made stickers, as well as on other items that can be a large source of revenue for them.
While we tend to associate custom made stickers with the big name sports teams, they can also be used to help promote amateur teams, even trickling all the way down to kids sports. Team sports for the little ones are huge, but they can also be expensive. Many of those youth teams rely on donations and fundraising in order to survive, and one way that they do that is to make custom made stickers with the team logo, and sometimes even with images of the kids in uniform. Parent’s love all that paraphernalia and local businesses will often go out of their way to sponsor teams so that their company name appears on the custom made stickers and even on the jersey’s that the kids wear to play.
If you need any proof that custom made stickers have stood the test of time, then simply take a look at other car bumpers when they pass you on the highway. Custom made stickers are the perfect way for sports teams to connect with their fans, and for those fans to show off their loyalty to the team. It’s hard to believe that something as simple as a custom made sticker could form that bond, but the next time you go to a sporting event and there are stickers being handed out, just watch how quickly people will line up to get their hands on them, and not just the kids either. People see a logo and almost instantly know which team it represents, and for those smaller amateur or youth teams, it almost becomes a form of free advertising.
