Notes

The Hidden Costs of Phygital pucks: Are Fans being Scammed by Phygital?

Eisgenoss, a Swiss company focused on promoting ice hockey, claims to be revolutionizing fan engagement with its innovative Fan-Puck. This digital hockey puck is embedded with a microchip and promises exclusive benefits for its owner. 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." Available in three limited editions--gold, silver, and traditional rubber--each puck contains a chip that provides access to exclusive privileges like early match tickets, VIP entries, meet-and-greets with hockey stars, and exclusive multimedia content. But at what price?




Editions and Pricing:





Original (Rubber ): 300 CHF


Silver: 3300 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. The concept of tying a digital NFT to a hockey puck and selling it for exorbitant prices appears to be more of a marketing gimmick, if not an outright scam. The puck has a minimal intrinsic value. This raises the question whether this is an innovation or a ploy to fleece hockey fans.




Is the Gold Edition Worth it?


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 promised features do not justify the price, which rivals that of high-end luxury items like supercars.



Collectibles or Exploitatives?


Silver and rubber versions of the Fan-Puck also have outrageous prices.





Silver edition: 3300 CHF per kilogram of silver which is approximately $956. https://zatap.io/eisgenoss-revolutionizing-ice-hockey/ 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 says that a portion from the proceeds of sales will be used to support the development and training of young Swiss hockey players. 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


Fan-Puck claims exclusive benefits but they are not clear.




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 autographed items at a 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 in decisions, but how impactful is this really?



The ambiguity and potential additional costs associated with these features make the investment in a Fan-Puck highly questionable.




The conclusion of the article is:


Eisgenoss and Vivents' current implementation of phygital technologies is more about exploiting the fans than delivering real 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. Overpriced collectibles that offer questionable benefits are not what fans deserve.




The article that inspired this critique is from ZATAP. They are a leader in phygital technologies.








My Website: https://zatap.io/eisgenoss-revolutionizing-ice-hockey/