I get an email from MLB.com the other day introducing their new line of hats available for purchase. Being an owner of dozens of baseball hats, I decided to take a look at what creative design they came up with and was absolutely blown away. Not in a “I want to buy this hat now” way, but rather in a “this hat should be thrown in the incinerator” way. The first indicator of a terrible design should have been when the marketing department at MLB.com got together and named the hat “Traffic Jam”.
What’s wrong with the standard logo hats? For the Red Sox, having a set of hats with the hanging socks and a set with the B logo produces dozens of variations, none of which need to look like someone vomited lines all over it. This hat was perfectly named, because it will cause drivers to stare in horror as they drive by someone wearing this hat (if anyone actually buys one).
I understand the MLB store is a business and is always looking to attract more customers and increase profits. At a certain point, however, the integrity of the product and brand is lost. If the hat is supposed to display your team pride, then it is unsuccessful. I can’t see the team logo past the pattern that looks like a map of my neighborhood.
This is not the first, nor will it be the last hideous product that the MLB produces, because everyone has different styles and affiliations. The more people wearing MLB gear, regardless the style, color or logo is good for their business and is theoretically good for the exposure of baseball. I agree with the concept, but the purist in me is screaming in horror at the top of his lungs.
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