One company is doing some serious marketing for its latest football card release. 2011 Upper Deck football is set for release next month and the company has created a series of teaser videos that have collectors wondering what “new evolution” they’re touting.
The company says it will debut a never-before-seen insert card set inside the product on April 12. What is it, you ask? Upper Deck isn’t saying…and that’s clearly part of the marketing strategy.
“It’s highly proprietary and we’re not at liberty to discuss the details just yet,” said Jason Masherah, Upper Deck’s vice president of Marketing. “But suffice it to say that this upcoming unveiling will once again revolutionize the trading card industry as we know it today.”
The set was produced through Upper Deck’s exclusive partnership with the Collegiate Licensing Company. The company no longer has an official NFL trading card license.
Wishing to create buzz and excitement for football card collectors, dealers, distributors and fans, Upper Deck has a special landing page devoted to the product’s debut next month.
“Our partnership with Upper Deck has allowed us to bring our fans new and innovative products never before seen in the trading card market,” said David Kirkpatrick, CLC’s vice president of Non-Apparel Marketing. “We are excited to share in such an important launch, and are confident that collectors and college fans alike will embrace this revolutionary new product.”
Upper Deck does have a history of innovation on their side. When the company made its debut in 1989 with its Upper Deck Baseball product, the company introduced the hobby’s first-ever anti-counterfeit hologram on each of its card. Upper Deck’s use of premium card stock and UV coating changed the hobby for good and increased collector expectations. Other companies quickly followed the lead.
A year later, Upper Deck became the first trading card company to put autographed cards into its packs with its “Baseball Heroes” insert collection featuring greats like Reggie Jackson and Nolan Ryan. Game-used jersey swatches embedded on card fronts from gridiron stars like Joe Montana, Barry Sanders and Brett Favre followed in 1996 and, two years later, the company made headlines once again by introducing its controversial, yet hugely popular Babe Ruth “Piece of History” bat cards, which contained one-by-one-inch pieces of a game-used bat once swung by the Sultan of Swat.
“Next month’s introduction will definitely catch people by surprise. This is the most important trading card innovation since Upper Deck introduced the cut signature card in 1998, so it will certainly be worth the wait,” said Masherah.
