OAKLEY has teamed up with the National Football League (NFL) in a landmark four year partnership to provide its technologically advanced Powered by Prizm lens technology shields and eyewear for the NFL’s 32 teams, personnel, officials and fans, making it the official on field partner and licensee. Beginning now with the new fall football season and for the first time in NFL history, all players have the option of wearing Prizm Clear shields during games. Prizm Clear has a slight color tint engineered to help optimize detail recognition in the football environment. As the sport and shields evolve, Oakley’s Prizm lens technology will be at the forefront of football gear.
“The Oakley brand started in stadiums, and now we will continue our brand journey inside the biggest and most relevant stadiums in North America: football stadiums,” says Benjamin Goss, Oakley’s global marketing director. “We are thrilled to partner with the National Football League and its players to push the boundaries of performance and help them see the game differently through Prizm.”
“We see Oakley as an ideal partner because we’re united by the same goal: supporting some of the world’s best athletes in their quest for elite performance,” says Renie Anderson, chief revenue officer & EVP, NFL Partnerships. “Our game is faster, and precision is more fundamental than ever, and Oakley provides the technologically-advanced gear that players, coaches and personnel need for peak performance.”
With a heritage rooted in sport performance optics, Oakley’s primary goal is to deliver enhanced performance and improve the safety of NFL players, especially in a fast paced sport where clear vision is crucial. Everyday athletes can also experience the same benefits of Prizm with the brand’s lifestyle and sport eyewear, which can make their respective sport environments look more vivid and vibrant.
To showcase the benefits of Prizm Clear, Oakley launched a new brand film putting the audience onto the NFL field and letting them experience what the world’s best football players will see through Prizm during a game, brought to life through the eyes of Team Oakley athletes including 2018 NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes II of the Kansas City Chiefs, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Derwin James Jr. of the Los Angeles Chargers.
NFL fans can also have access to the same eyewear technology and represent their favorite teams with Oakley’s special edition NFL eyewear collection available for all 32 teams in two men’s styles and seven teams in a women’s style. All styles are equipped with Prizm, the official team logo etched on the lens and team color accents throughout. Fans can also customize select frames with the Oakley Custom Program.
In celebration of this momentous partnership, Oakley took over Times Square in NYC for a spectacular launch moment. In an immersive 360 degree experience, the giant billboards in Times Square went dark, creating a disruptive blackout moment. The area then quickly roared back to life showcasing Mahomes, Smith-Schuster and James in a creatively orchestrated content piece specially developed to run across the various screens. Following the dramatic spectacle, Oakley announced its new partnership with the New York Giants, welcoming the team to the stage in the heart of their home city.
–Christine Yeh
