In Aiden Raff’s blog post “Microsoft’s $400 million deal with the NFL may do more harm than good” he outlines the possible costs of the deal Microsoft signed with the NFL. He mentions how announcers are mistaking the Microsoft Surface as the Apple iPad, and how trademark erosion could be dreadful for both companies. I agree that the confusion between the devices could be detrimental to Microsoft as they invested a great deal of money into this partnership and are hoping for worldwide recognition of their new products.
Colin Kaepernick warming up wearing Beats by Dr. Dre
Similarly, Bose recently signed a deal with the NFL. Bose has become “the official sound of the NFL” meaning this deal restricts players and coaches from wearing other brands of headphones, such as Beats by Dr. Dre, around media cameras. The league has had trouble keeping players from wearing Beats during warm-up and post-game interviews, and in some cases has had to fine players. Colin Kaepernick and Richard Sherman, who are spokespersons for Beats by Dr. Dre, have received $10,000 fines for wearing their headphones. I think the NFL needs to continue to punish players who do this in order to respect the deal they have with Bose. They, like Microsoft, invested millions to gain a competitive advantage and recognition through the NFL, but if the NFL doesn’t hold up its end of the deal, it could be a lost cause for these companies.
Resources:
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