Perhaps the strangest marketing effort ever

I received my weekly "Flag Bearer" email from the Columbus Blue Jackets today, and among its reminders of upcoming games and unique ticket packages was a solicitation for the new CBJ third jersey, the actual content of the section reprinted to the left.

This totally baffles me.

I appreciate the CBJ wanting to keep the element of surprise and congratulate them on locking this jersey design down tighter than any team in the NHL has done.  Not a single leak.  When that jersey is worn on the ice, it'll be a total surprise for fans inside and outside of the arena.  If that's what the Jackets management wanted, they got it.

At the same time, I had the exact same reaction to this solicitation as I had to the flyer soliciting third jersey orders with my ticket package mailing.  Considering that we're talking about a purchase that will likely run north of $100, there is no way in hell that I'm going to pre-order it without having an inkling of what the jersey looks like.  I don't know any colors, logos, anything.  All I know is that it's going to use the same Reebok Edge jersey that the rest of the NHL uses, and that it will have a cannon motif as the main logo.  That's nowhere near enough for me to make a pre-release purchase.

Now, I'd perhaps think differently if the CBJ put a significant discount on the pre-sale jersey orders.  (Like 25-50%)  But they're not.  As best I recall, they're charging full freight for these sweaters.  Sight unseen.

Nah, I'll wait for Thanksgiving and see what they come out wearing.  I'm a fan, not a lemming.