RFID specialist Identiv is working with US sports team the Nashville Predators and CollectID to create a connected brand and marketing experience through wearable technology for a limited edition jersey to be sold to mark the retirement of the Predators’ goalkeeper Pekka Rinne.

The jerseys contain an embedded near-field communication (NFC) tag designed for a long-term marketing relationship with fans who can scan the tag and register to unlock exclusive content and offers. The tags verify jersey authenticity and will allow fans to interact digitally with the team.

Nashville Predators are the first team in the US National Hockey League to unlock exclusive fan content with embedded NFC tags.

Identiv selected NFC tags featuring the highest security level based on NXP NTAG 424 DNA chips. The antenna design and tag conversion allow integration into jerseys, and other clothing, and can withstand rigorous wash and dry cycles. NTAG 424 DNA NFC tags also provide anti-counterfeiting and verifying proof of ownership features, and are designed to give fans a personalised experience in each interaction, drawing the brand and consumer closer through each digital experience.

Dave Urso, Senior Vice President of Operations for the Nashville Predators and Bridgestone Arena said “We are excited to partner with collectID on this jersey project. Adding this technology to the Pekka Rinne retirement jersey offers us the ability to communicate directly with our fans in a very targeted fashion while delivering exclusive content to them. We look forward to future integrations with collectID, again offering exclusive opportunities for our fans that they cannot get anywhere else.”

“This collaboration with the Nashville Predators was very meaningful, the opportunity to make the last Pekka Rine jersey commemorative is extremely special,” said David Geisser, Co-founder of collectID. “This is more than a physical product, collectID makes it a living, evolving experience for fans. The Predators can add new features, content, and even vouchers to give back to loyal fans and connect them to sports icons like Rine.”

The collaboration between Identiv and CollectID enables product authentication, verification, and a fan engagement experience via embeddable NFC life-of-garment tags. “Our partnership with collectID and this activation with the Predators is an exciting statement about the increase in adoption of life-of-garment tags,” said Amir Khoshniyati, VP and GM Transponders, Identiv. “This is another big step in providing digital identities to physical products of all types.”