The Pittsburgh Pirates unveiled the t-shirt designs for their 2017 Free Shirt Saturday promotions.
Every year, in about October, businesses that run on an annual January-December cycle begin strategizing for the next year. Reviewing five-year plans, updating them based on the realities of the previous year and so on. Departments like Manufacturing, Sales, Marketing, Distribution, Human Resources and IS/IT, get goals for the next year from company leadership and spend a few months mapping out their contributions to/support services for the company to achieve them.
Though their industry is a different one, the Pittsburgh Pirates are no different.
Sure, they don’t exactly run on the same hard-line January – December timeline, but they’re a business nonetheless. Therefore, as they roll out their marketing initiatives for the upcoming season, if you squint and turn your head just right, you might be able to cull out some hints as to how the powers that be forsee the season playing out. Take their Free T-Shirt Saturday offerings for example:
The Elephant in the Room
After an offseason filled with rumor and speculation, fans likely breathed a sign of relief when they saw a Cutch shirt right out of the gate. Plus, that #22 on April 22 works out nicely. It says that they know he’s still a huge draw to fans and they know that even though it’s an April game and likely to be cold outside, fans will come for the shirt and the chance to see the Yankees in inter-league play. Notice, however, that it’s not on offer in say, August or September.
A 30-days long goodbye to summer
Ahh, but look who IS featured in September…
Not surprising here that Josh Bell is featured. The Pittsburgh Pirates expect big things out of the outfielder-turned-first baseman Bell in 2017 and don’t appear to be looking to offer him up for the next quasi-superstar-with-the-help-of-Ray Searage starting pitcher who happens along at the trade deadline (unless of course, they do).
Safe Bet
July is always a tumultuous time in baseball, as the trade deadline looms at the end of the month. The Bucs went with a rock solid choice for their first of two free shirt Saturdays of the month with a Gregory Polanco option. El Coffee signed a contract extension in 2016, that, with options, could keep the outfielder with the team through 2023.
Learning From The Past
Perhaps trashing 20,000 Francisco Liriano bobbleheads after his surprising trade to the Toronto Blue Jays on August 1 in advance of his September 10 giveaway taught the Marketing Department a valuable lesson about timing these sorts of promotions. This season, the July 15 and August 5 shirts are both non-player, simple Pittsburgh Pirates-branded merchandise. That the Bell shirt is the only player one offered past July 2 is further indication of how solid his spot on the roster seems.
High Hopes for 2017
The last Free Shirt Saturday offering is the most promising. It is a humble black shirt with a wink and a nod to the infamous pillbox hats worn by the 1979 World Series Champion Bucs team. Yes, the Pittsburgh Pirates brought them back for Sunday throwback uniforms in 2016 (there hasn’t been confirmation that the team will wear them again in 2017) so there’s a tie-in to the modern-day team. But what caught my eye was the color. With one tweet on September 29, 2013 (and a little help from his teammates and local media) a blackout at PNC Park for the National League Wildcard Game was planned and fans lucky enough to get tickets went scrambling to buy up black Pirates t-shirts (if they didn’t already own them).
In 2017, the Pirates are making sure that there will be 20,000 fresh black t-shirts in circulation just as the season is drawing to an end. Shirts that evoke a past glory that the team is chasing again. And they’ll be ready for another blackout.
#PNCBLACKOUT …we are all in this together!
— Andrew McCutchen (@TheCUTCH22) September 30, 2013
NOTE: In total, the Pittsburgh Pirates unveiled nine total shirts for their Free Shirt Saturday promotion. Fans who are members of the new Fan Council were given a chance to vote on shirt designs, although it’s unclear how many original designs were available from which to select. Check out all of the 2017 Free Shirt Saturday t-shirts here.
Photos/Graphics courtesy The Pittsburgh Pirates
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