Nashville Predators
Benefits for the Brand and Fans
Verified Authenticity Check
Exclusive Content
Digital Sponsorship Activation
Higher Jersey Value
D2C Channel
The digital activation added value to the jersey- The club gained a direct touchpoint with their customers
- High conversion rates indicate consumers’ strong interest in jersey content
Client: Nashville Predators
Industry: Sports
Phygital Jersey Celebrating a Legend’s Retirement
For the first time in club history, the Nashville Predators retired a jersey number and wanted to make it special. Powered by ZATAP, The Nashville Predators transformed Pekka Rinne’s retirement jersey into a direct communication and sales channel, creating an engaging digital experience for fans to remember Rinne forever. With 22% of fans allowing for targeted marketing and offers from the club and its sponsors, the phygital jersey opened new doors for dynamic storytelling and activations.
challenge
Add Value to a Special Edition Jersey Celebrating Pekka Rinne’s Retirement
For the first time in club history, the Nashville Predators retired the jersey of a former goalie, Pekka Rinne. The Nashville Predators aimed to increase fan engagement and offer fans a unique physical and digital experience to remember Pekka forever.
Solution
Phygital Jersey Experience with Proof of Attendance on Retirement Night
The Nashville Predators created a memorable jersey embedded with the ZATAP technology, allowing fans to tap the jersey with their smartphone, verify its authenticity, and check which number of the limited edition they own. Once registered, fans unlocked access to exclusive and never-before-seen content, a personal message from Pekka Rinne himself, and memorable highlights from his last game. Proof of Attendance at the retirement game is stored forever on the blockchain.
Results
40% Price Increase in Phygital Jersey and Exclusive Content for Jersey Owners
The Predators turned their jersey into a direct communication and sales channel to their fans, with 22% of the fans allowing for targeted marketing and offers. The digital capabilities allowed the Predators to sell their jerseys at a 40% premium, generating additional merchandise revenue for the club. With one tap on their jersey, fans access digital proof they attended the retirement game and exclusive content of Pekka whenever they want.
Solutions Used in this Story
Product-Based Storytelling
Telling a story, storing memories, or using the phygital product in a video game. ZATAP allows brands to engage their customers directly through their products.
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Authenticity at Your Fingertips
Safeguard your brand against counterfeit products. Using blockchain and encrypted NFC tags, customers can verify the authenticity of their products with a single tap, bolstering consumer trust and brand reputation.
Other Success Stories
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Client: Universal Music Group Central Europe & CRO
Industry: Music & Entertainment
NFC Plush Drives Long-Term Engagement
CRO, one of the most successful German hip-hop artists of all time, used ZATAP’s technology for his "Crodies". These plush collectibles have a ZATAP NFC tag inside and come in six different colors. Each color represents a certain topic (i.e. red = "love", green = "hope", or purple = "joy") and each color gives buyers access to a unique experience.
Client: Sony Music Entertainment Germany & Clueso
Industry: Music & Entertainment
New Chart-Eligible Music Format – Mini NFC-Cassette
It looks like a small version of an old-school cassette and has a tiny NFC tag inside. When fans tap it with their smartphone, they instantly unlock a digital hub filled with content from the artist and the released album. This new music format has already been approved for the charts in Germany and the United Kingdom, US charts will follow soon.
Client: Warner Music France & Christopher Maé
Industry: Music & Entertainment
Why You Should Sell Cassettes in 2026
Fans received a bundle of a HOHNER harmonica and a physical cassette with an NFC tag embedded. But why are fans buying a cassette, assuming most of them don't own a cassette player anymore? Tapping the NFC tag with the smartphone unlocks exclusive studio videos and bonus tracks from the album Fête Foraine, turning this collectible into a living fan experience. The physical-digital connection transforms the act of owning music into an ongoing relationship between artist and fan.
