The Walt Disney Company protects its iconic characters and intellectual property. The National Football League is too. The league wants its teams to look their best, and Disney wants its characters to shine.
On Thursday afternoon, at New York’s Jacob Javits Center, the world of Disney collided with the world of the NFL, all in the service of an unusual new consumer product line, one that mixes some Disney characters with all 32 NFL teams.
That’s how Darth Vader, flanked by a pair of Stormtroopers, found himself on stage at Fanatics Fest alongside NFL legend and Las Vegas Raiders owner Tom Brady, Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, with Marvel’s president Kevin Feige looking on from the audience.
Vader was the first pick in the “Disney Fan Draft,” held on the convention floor, which served as a launching pad for the “Disney | Champion NFL Collection,” which brings together Disney characters and an NFL team.
The clothing line launched at the festival with eight bands (and characters), with all 32 bands launching in August.
In addition to Vader and the Raiders, the set includes the Buffalo Bills and Beast from beauty and the beast; The Dallas Cowboys and Woody from Toy Story; New England Patriots and Marvel’s Captain America; New York Giants and Wreck It Ralph; New York Jets and toy story Buzz Lightyear; Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Captain Hook; And Washington leaders toy story significant.
“The Disney | Champion NFL Collection reflects our ongoing commitment to creating consumer products and experiences that sit at the intersection of culture, fandom and storytelling,” says Paul Jeter, Executive Vice President, Worldwide Brand Marketing, Disney Consumer Products. Hollywood Reporter. “As we prepare for ‘The Year of the Super Bowl’ on ESPN, we are expanding how fans engage with Disney across sports through moments that increase relevancy, connection and long-term brand affinity.”
According to Brett Healy, director of graphic design at Disney Consumer Products, the Disney Products team actually crafted the characters for each team. While what happened on stage at Fanatics Fest was in service of the show, the Disney team put a lot of thought into each pairing.
“We drafted based on the team first: What’s the character of the team? What are their colors? What’s their team name? What are their fans like? What’s their city like? What are the ‘If you knew you knew’ moments? So I took all that into consideration with my team, and we basically drafted all 32 teams together,” Healy says.
Although many of the characters are Disney “all-stars,” so to speak, he says they were intentional in their choices.
“Whoever character worked best with this team, that’s the story we were going to tell, even if it was a third-tier character,” he says.
Consumer products are one of the key parts of Disney’s flywheel. The company had revenue of $974 million in the company’s most recent quarterly report, with operating income of $479 million, and huge margins that reflect Disney’s heavy focus on licensing through partners like Champion.
With its latest effort, the company is betting it can bring some NFL fans along for the ride, too.
