Jazz Jersey Patch Has Raised $25 Million For Cancer Research
Sep 28, 2020, 1:41 PM | Updated: 1:52 pm
(Photo courtesy of the Utah Jazz)
(Photo courtesy of the Utah Jazz)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Utah Jazz season may have ended disappointingly, but one element of the team’s performance has been an overwhelming success. According to Forbes, the Jazz “5 for the Fight” jersey patch has raised more than $25 million towards cancer research.
Qualtrics, a subscription-based software company located in Provo, Utah purchased the 2 1/2 inch square of jersey space in 2017 and committed to using the opportunity to raise money in the fight against cancer. Three years later the company has raised more than half of its $50 million goal.
“We were going to do the largest marketing spend we had ever done by 3X and we were giving it away to cancer,” Qualtrics CEO Ryan Smith told Forbes. “The board said ‘Ryan, you have brought some crazy stuff to us, but this is the craziest thing yet.’’’
Absolute legend. You know you have our support 🙌🏻 @RyanQualtrics https://t.co/zTUfJOP74K
— Joe Ingles (@Joeingles7) September 28, 2020
The “5 for the Fight” campaign invites everyone to donate $5 for the fight against cancer. The Jazz patch is the first-ever cause-related sponsorship in the history of North American professional sports and is the only cause-related jersey patch in the NBA.
Last year, Qualtrics extended its relationship with the Jazz as the team’s jersey sponsor through the 2022-23 season.
We’re excited to extend what we believe to be the most innovative sports marketing partnership in the world with @Qualtrics and @5ForTheFight_. Please join us in this fight against cancer 🖐🏼 pic.twitter.com/08Wy8OGiDi
— Steve Starks (@StevenStarks) October 21, 2019
Jersey Patches An Enormous Success
The NBA first added patches for game day jerseys in 2017 and the move has been an overwhelming success for both the league and the brand sponsors.
“The NBA first allowed its teams to sell 2-1/2 by 2-1/2-inch ad patches on uniforms for the 2017-18 season, generating more than $150 million in incremental sponsorship revenue, largely from new brands,” According to Sports Business Journal. “More than 20 patch sponsors were doing business with NBA teams for the first time.”
In February, officials from the NBA said they believed the patches increase in value by 30 percent as the league allows international sponsors to advertise in the increasingly global sport.
How has cancer impacted your family?#5ForTheFight | @5ForTheFight_ pic.twitter.com/dZAU0RhXYu
— utahjazz (@utahjazz) September 11, 2020
The advertising opportunity has been so successful that the league is finding new opportunities for companies to advertise on NBA jerseys. According to The Athletics Shams Charania, the league will allow additional space for an advertising “asset” on practice and shoot around jerseys.
The Jazz practice jersey is currently sponsored by Zions Bank, who also owns the naming rights to the Jazz “Zions Bank Basketball Campus” where the team practices.
