The AAF: What's Right (and Wrong) With the New Football League's Promotional Marketing

Dear readers, I have a new obsession: The Alliance of American Football. In case you haven't fallen into the AAF life yourself, it's basically a minor league for the NFL. The league, co-founded by Charlie Ebersol and NFL executive Bill Polian, consists of eight teams, including the San Diego Fleet and the Orlando Apollos. Games occur every Saturday and Sunday, and I cannot stress enough how much I've been enjoying the hype.

Admittedly, it was not my choice to become an AAF spectator. Through peer pressure, I was pushed to pick a team alliance on the spot, based purely on logo. I went with the Salt Lake Stallions, a decision that hasn't exactly paid off given the team's current 0-2 record. But I stand by the fact that the team's logo and branding are amazing, so in the event that I go so far as to purchase a T-shirt, I will sport it proudly.

The AAF has garnered quite a fan base, with 20,019 fans showing up to the Fleet's first home game in San Diego. Not to mention, there are active communities on Twitter and Reddit.

Now that I've fully immersed myself in the AAF life (aka finally learned the name of the Stallions' quarterback), I feel that there's no better time to take a look at the promotional marketing efforts behind the league. There are some lessons to be learned for promotional apparel suppliers and distributors in what the league is doing right—and wrong.

The Good

1. The AAF Logos

In 48 hours, The Alliance begins! #JoinTheAlliance pic.twitter.com/h8hjk7W5Xd

— The Alliance (@TheAAF) February 8, 2019

Granted, not every logo in this league is a home run (or, touchdown, I guess). But, for the most part, the league pulled out all the stops in the design process, including bold color schemes and hidden letters. They're fun, eye-catching and, quite frankly, make me want to buy a whole bunch of branded apparel.

2. The AAF Retro Merchandise

If the AAF does nothing else, at least it brought back the Starter jacket... @ClayTravis pic.twitter.com/eYSxw9ckRJ

— Blake Spann (@blake_spannn) February 17, 2019