CELTIC AND ADIDAS LATEST MERCHANDISE STUNT IS A STEP TOO FAR
- BY LIAM CARRIGAN
- Oct 14
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 18
I think there was widespread acknowledgement, if not praise, for the way Celtic visibly dialed back on the aggressive marketing of their tie-in merchandise over the past few weeks.
This was in no doubt a direct result of fans’ expressions of discontent and the subsequent protest actions at the last couple of matches.
However, Celtic and Adidas have yet another merchandise drop planned for this week, and I have to say, it’s a new low, even for them.
Celtic and Adidas Go Low with Manufactured Scarcity and “FOMO”
The Latest Celtic and Adidas Collaboration, the “SPZL collection” launches this Thursday. It includes some items, most notably and admittedly quite fetching pair of Celtic and Adidas trainers that are “Exclusive to the Celtic Superstore” and sold strictly on a “First come first served basis” from 9am this coming Thursday, October 16th.
It’s an open secret that sales of official merchandise have been, at best, below expectations, since the Celtic fan protest movement erupted at the beginning of September.
Although no official merchandise boycott has been announced, that certainly seems to be the way we are headed. It seems many fans have already decided individually to take the initiative in this regard, and hit the Celtic Board in the one area that will hurt, their finances.
So, when sales are down, a common marketing tactic to deploy is that of “manufactured scarcity”. Basically, companies deliberately make less of a product that they know will be popular, in order to push the emotional buttons of fans.
Psychologists refer to this effect as “Fear of Missing Out” or FOMO.
It is one of the most manipulative, and in my opinion scummy, modern marketing practices we see in today’s economy.
Celtic and Adidas will hope that by making these shoes, and probably some other items, appear as “limited edition”, they can compel fans to break their self-imposed boycott now, due to the aforementioned fear of missing out.
However, I’ve seen this same tactic tried before, most commonly in the video game industry, and more often than not, its biggest impact is one that I doubt Celtic’s commercial team have even thought about: “scalping”.
For those unfamiliar with the term, “scalping” refers to people buying a product (or usually several of the same item) at the recommended retail price, and then re-selling the items online (usually within mere hours of their initial purchase for hugely inflated fees.)
Remember a few years ago when seemingly every child in the world wanted a PlayStation 5 for Christmas, but Amazon and all the other online stores had totally sold out? Ebay was awash with listings for the PS5, usually at around double, or sometimes even triple the RRP.
The same thing, albeit on a much smaller scale, will happen here.
Then there’s the issue of simple geography. The launch is “exclusive to the Celtic Superstore”. So, what happens if you don’t live anywhere near the superstore (the thousands of fans who come over from Ireland every week seem like a prime example)?
And what about fans like me and the thousands of others who pay over the odds every month to continue supporting Celtic from abroad via Celtic TV.
I think, as my American friends would put it: “Well, your sh*t outta luck, son!”
I won’t tell other Celtic fans what they should and shouldn’t buy. Afterall, I’m one of those man-children who paid over the odds (though only slightly) for his PS5 back in 2021!
However, I do hope that the vast majority of Celtic fans will see this for the cynical, manipulative attempt at emotional blackmail that it is.
Unfortunately, the powers that be at Celtic still haven’t learned that fans don’t like being treated purely as consumers. I hope this isn’t the emergence of a new trend in Celtic and Adidas’ product marketing but sadly, I think it probably is.
A Note from the Writer:
Friends, thank you all for reading the ACSOM Blog. If it’s not too much of an imposition, I have a favor to ask of your all.
This year, as I have done for the past 3 years, I am taking part in the “One Foot Forward Charitable Challenge. I will walk 500km during the month of October to raise money for Mental Health research.
If anyone would like to contribute, you can do so at this link: https://www.onefootforward.org.au/fundraisers/LiamCarrigan/one-foot-forward
Thank you everyone. Even the smallest donation could make a massive difference.
