Eisgenoss, a Swiss company focused on promoting ice hockey, claims to be revolutionizing fan engagement with its innovative Fan-Puck. This phygital hockey puck, embedded with a chip, promises a range of exclusive benefits to its owners. However, with the highest priced puck selling for a staggering $300,000, one must ask: are these experiences truly worth the hefty price tag?
The Fan-Puck: Overpriced Fan Engagement?
Launched ahead of the 2026 Ice Hockey World Championship in Switzerland, the Fan-Puck merges physical and digital value, marketed under the buzzword "phygital." Each of the three limited editions -- gold, silver and traditional rubber -- contains a chip which gives access to exclusive privileges such as early match tickets and VIP entry, meet-and greets with hockey stars and exclusive multimedia content. But at what cost?
Editions & Pricing:
- Original (Rubber): 300 CHF
- Silver: 3,300 CHF
Gold: 300,000 CHF
Are These Pucks a Marketing Stunt?
The creation of the Fan-Puck involved the Swiss Ice Hockey Federation (SIHF), gold merchant Philoro, and Web 3.0 specialist Vivents. While this collaboration might seem impressive, the real concern lies in the true value these pucks offer. It appears that the concept of attaching a digital NFT onto a hockey stick and then selling it at exorbitant rates is more of a marketing trick, if not a scam. The puck has a minimal intrinsic value. This raises the question whether this is an innovation or a ploy to fleece hockey fans.
The Gold Edition: Worth the Price?
The "Gold Eisgenoss" collectible, made of 2.29 kilograms of pure gold, is priced at 300,000 CHF. However, considering the current gold price, the real value of this puck is approximately $175,099.15. Eisgenoss will pocket a profit of approximately $154,752.42 for each puck. Does the added phygital content of this puck justify such a huge markup? Absolutely not. The price is too high for the features promised.
Collectibles or Exploitatives?
The silver and rubber editions of the Fan-Puck are also priced outrageously:
- Silver edition: 3300 CHF per kilogram of silver which is approximately $956. This results in a profit of around $2,672.77 for Eisgenoss, questioning the justification of such a high price for some digital perks.
- Rubber Edition: 300 CHF for a basic rubber puck that only provides pre-sale ticket access. Charging this amount for minimal digital benefits seems exploitative.
Questionable Transparency and Value
Eisgenoss claims a portion of the sales proceeds will support the development of young talent in Swiss ice hockey. However, the lack of transparency regarding the exact percentage raises doubts. The "a portion" could range from 10% to less that 1%. This further adds to the skepticism.
Promises vs. Reality
The Fan-Puck promises several exclusive benefits, but these claims lack clarity:
- Access to Pre-Sale Tickets: Only provides access to tickets for pre-sale, but not the actual tickets.
- VIP Experiences: Vague promises of exclusive VIP entries and behind-the-scenes tours.
- Meet-and-Greets: Opportunities to meet hockey stars, but with no concrete details.
- Signed Merchandise: Access to autographed items, likely at an additional cost.
- Multimedia content: Exclusive Content, but it is unclear whether this exclusive content is truly exclusive or if the early access version of content.
- Fan voting: Participation is important, but what impact does it have?
The ambiguity and potential additional costs associated with these features make the investment in a Fan-Puck highly questionable.
Conclusion
While phygital technology is indeed effective and has tremendous potential when used correctly, its current implementation by Eisgenoss and Vivents appears to be more about exploiting fans than providing genuine value. These pucks are expensive, and the vague promises, lack of transparency, and exorbitant price point suggest this is a marketing stunt rather than an innovation. Fans deserve better than overpriced collectibles with questionable benefits.
The article that inspired this critique is from ZATAP. EISGENOSS are a leader in phygital technologies.