Social media and the press went wild, fans were objecting, others ridiculed the kit and likened it to a hen party or beauty pageant sash.. and then someone pointed out that the space taken up by the sponsors logo contravened the FA guidelines and the doubt started to kick in.. was it a PR stunt?

If it was, what would be the purpose? Well Huddersfield and Paddy Power were both trending on social media and along with the Umbro were all being mentioned in news stories. Would that have got that level of publicity with just an ordinary new kit reveal? Probably not.

However, it is still unclear (at time of writing) whether this was a publicity campaign especially as they played against Rochdale last night wearing the supposed new kit and have said it will be on sale from tomorrow onwards. In the meantime, it has been reported that the FA have requested clarification and reminded them of their guidelines.

Branding, sponsorship, social media and PR are all elements of marketing and used right can be very effective. To discuss how these could be used in your business contact Helen Stott of Marketing Doris.

See follow on article - #SaveOurShirts