The NFL season is ready to kickoff and that means player merchandise will be flying off the shelves. Each year the NFL Players Association releases their Top 50 Player Sales Year-End List which charts the top performing NFL players based on merchandise sales. We took the list a step further by combining it with NFL fan specific data from E-Score® Celebrity.

The Watch List

Although football fans are aware of most of the players on this list, several of the top performing players in merchandise sales have fairly low Awareness among the general public. Players like Russell Wilson, Odell Beckham Jr., and J.J. Watt have good Appeal scores, but suffer from a lack of Awareness among the general public. This represents an opportunity for the players and their partners, especially if they can replicate the sentiments of NFL fans among the general public. NFL fans call J.J. Watt, “A nice role model”, and Russell Wilson is a “Good person”, while Odell Beckham Jr. is considered “Cool”. If they can continue to increase their exposure to national audiences, we can expect their positions on this list to improve. High Appeal coupled with low Awareness among the general public makes these players ones to watch this upcoming season in merchandise sales as the game becomes more popular.

“How ‘Bout Them Cowboys”

The Dallas Cowboys as “America’s Team” is a debatable subject. However, the Cowboys as one of the most popular NFL franchises is not. With 50% Awareness among the general population, according to E-Score Brand, Dallas is one of the most recognizable franchises in professional sports and dominates the region media wise. Add to that an Appeal, among NFL fans, that is six points higher than the average sports team, and it’s easy to see how being on the Cowboys can help expose a player to a large fan base. The Cowboys’ high Awareness, and higher than average Appeal, helped catapult two players into the top 10 in merchandise sales. Dez Bryant and Jason Witten both have low Awareness scores, but are aided by the popularity and exposure of the Dallas Cowboys brand.

Takeaway

While some players may see an increase in merchandise sales due to their increasing Awareness and Appeal, others can get help from outside forces. The regional popularity of NFL teams like the Dallas Cowboys provides a boost to lesser-known players and can help increase merchandise sales.

E-Score products and attributes help make sense of, and add value to the research that effects your bottom line. And E-Score’s extensive targeting capabilities lets you identify and understand the demographics that are important to you, whether it’s avid or casual NFL fans, geographic region or any of hundreds of other criteria.

Resources

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