Archive for June, 2010
A Different Kind of Upset Letter
Posted by: | CommentsOne of the things I actually miss from my days managing the Customer Service group for Upper Deck is the letters I used to receive. I would on occasion receive appreciative letters about something I had helped a customer with which was nice, but more often than not the letters were concerning a problem.
What I appreciated about them was that the letters were always so different because collectors as a whole are very different. They all have their pet peeves and things that annoy them and luckily for us they are more than happy to share their opinions with us. We use that feedback to ultimately make a better product and to try to help them out. And now by embracing new social media tools like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and this blog, we can connect with them in new and exciting ways.
A colleague once asked me, “Don’t you get tired of hearing all the negativity?”
I responded, “It’s not negativity as much as it is an opportunity. Had they not taken the time to contact us, we may have lost their business forever. Now we have the opportunity to save them as a customer.”
I still believe that to be true. That being said, I’m not sure what to do with the letter we received today. The names have been blacked out to protect the customer, but this is just one that had a few of us in the office saying, “Really?”
Sports card and memorabilia collectors by and large are VERY passionate about their hobby and the sports they love. The vast majority of our core collecting base consists of males (94%) generally between the ages of 18 and 45. So it is not surprising the group that seems to be the biggest haters of this hobby and our products are the women they date or marry.
A couple of months ago I gave some tips to a collector who was looking for ways to balance his marriage and his love for the hobby, but I think it’s time to simplify that a bit by using some generalizations. I know that’s not a good thing to do, but it gets us to the answer the quickest.
At our core, guys can be a little stupid and women can be a little crazy. As this letter demonstrates, the husband was a little stupid for continuing to purchase cards, redeem items and for bringing in new memorabilia items that he knew his wife would hate. And in turn, she was a little crazy for writing a company blindly and telling us not to support our customer.
So where does that bring us? If you are one of the 94% in that age range that loves Upper Deck products, try not to be a little bit stupid because you will ultimately make your significant other a little bit crazy. And what does a crazy significant other do to a guy who is a passionate sports fan? Something like this…
Now that brings me to our real issue: How do we respond to this letter? Please give us your feedback in the comments section. We will give the person who provides the response we end up using a full box of 2009-10 NHL Be-A-Player and 2009-10 NHL ICE. We’ll even include this Upper Deck backpack for the lady in your life, because she never looks better than when she’s wearing a brand you love…
Popularity: 3% [?]
Celts in Six, Please…
Posted by: | CommentsI’ve been saying this around the office a lot lately. I have a lunch bet with one co-worker, a $5 bet on the series with another and several bragging rights at stake depending upon the play of the Boston Celtics tonight. I realize they are leading 3-2 in this best-of-seven series, and that there is a possibility the Lakers could stretch things to a seventh game, but I don’t want it to go to Game 7. I have a feeling the NBA would like it just fine if Kobe and company came out and obliterated the Celts tonight, but I don’t think that’s going to happen. I believe, in my heart of hearts, that the Celtics are the better T-E-A-M and I really feel that they will close out the Lakers in Game 6 tonight. In fact, I’m predicting the final score to be: Celtics 98 – Lakers 95.
Since Rondo rhymes with Hondo, the Lakers don't stand a chance tonight.
It’s time for Ray Allen to rediscover his three-point shooting prowess and it’s definitely time for Kendrick Perkins to play like Robert Parish. Kobe is the best player, pound for pound, on either team, but he alone can’t win the title. He’ll need guys like Lamar “Double Stuff” Odom and “Ron-Ron” Artest to step up and play tough, but that hunger doesn’t seem to exist. Artest had it against Phoenix, but he hasn’t been able to channel his aggression effectively against Boston. And that’s just fine with me.
If it comes down to bench play, I feel very good about the Celtics’ chances tonight. I mean, if Glen “Big Baby” Davis, Nate Robinson and Tony Allen all play aggressively – which I know they will – the score should fall in Beantown’s favor. Lakers’ coach Phil Jackson said this is exactly the way a 2-3-2 series is supposed to go, but he’s counting on his team winning the last two games at home. That’s not the way it’s supposed to go in my book. With Celtics Coach Doc Rivers barking out orders, and the green-and-white players paying attention, I feel very confident in my team’s chances this evening. Tuesday, June 15, 2010 will mark the Celtics 18th NBA title. Pretty sweet, huh?
What about you? Care to venture a final score? Come on, Laker wannabes. How ‘bout it?
Popularity: 1% [?]
Bogus Autographs Still a Problem in Sports Memorabilia Industry
Posted by: | CommentsOver the past year, Upper Deck has been one of the industry leaders with regard to social media in the sports marketing industry. Through YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, our very own sports Blog and even LinkedIn, we have found a really great way to reach out to our customers to provide information on current and upcoming products, while also interacting directly with them in a more meaningful way.
A few months ago we created a Facebook page for Upper Deck Authenticated (UDA) and we’ve been really excited to see so many sports fanatics become fans of the page. The majority of the posts initially came from UDA until recently when we shared a very exciting promotion to find the Ultimate Man Cave.
As fans began to submit images and video of some of their private collections in which they’ve invested so much, I was alarmed to see that fraudulent autographs are still an issue. I saw some autographs from players like Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Ken Griffey Jr. and others that I knew were just not authentic. Upon showing them to our Athlete Relations Manager who conducts many, if not all, of the signings with our top spokesmen, he agreed. So we avoided posting some of those images on our pages.
Anyone can grab a sharpie and put their name on a jersey or ball, but UDA goes through painstaking steps to make sure the investment you are making in your passion is a sound one. When I saw some of the images coming in, I felt devastated for the collectors who thought they had something special from their favorite athletes. I guess having worked at Upper Deck so long, I just assumed that people would purchase items from well-known, reputable companies, but unfortunately sometimes a good deal comes along that is just too good to pass up.
Listen, there are some things you just do not want to bargain shop for. You might want to spend a little more on a mattress considering all the time you spend in bed. If you jog, you might not want to buy a quality pair of running shoes unless you enjoy shin splints, knee problems or worse. I’d recommend that if you are going to have an operation, you don’t bargain shop on a surgeon. And lastly, if you are going to make an investment in autographed sports memorabilia featuring your favorite athlete, you better make sure it is real. Remember: If a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
There are a lot of things that make working at UDA great. The people are passionate about sports here and we have really worked to bring some innovative new products to market, rather than just the same old thing.
2010 NHL Stanley Cup Final MVP Jonathan Toews at an Upper Deck Authenticated signing earlier this season.
Upper Deck Authenticated's innovative NHL "Curve" Displays with Autographed Pucks.
But probably the most fulfilling aspect about producing our portfolio of UDA products is just knowing that we are bringing quality, AUTHENTIC products to market. We work directly with the biggest names in sports. And when it’s all said and done, it’s really rewarding to deliver their authentic game-used and signed items to their biggest fans.
Michael Jordan signing using Upper Deck's Pencam at a signing with Upper Deck Authenticated.
Upper Deck Authenticated's Michael Jordan Autographed 2009 Hall-of-Fame Collage
Popularity: 3% [?]
Celtics Supersubs: Shrek and Donkey
Posted by: | CommentsLast night’s NBA Finals Game 4 win by the Celtics against the hard-charging Lakers made me feel good all over. Not only did it right the series at two games apiece, but it re-established the Celtics bench as a force to be reckoned with. Memories of John Havlicek, Paul Silas, Cornbread Maxwell and even Bill Walton all came crashing back to me as I watched C’s Coach Doc Rivers let both Glen “Big Baby” Davis and Nate “Little Man” Robinson stay in the game and take control in the fourth quarter. Down 62-60 entering the final quarter, the two off-the-bench subs were put in originally to spell Boston’s starters Rajon Rondo and Kevin Garnett as the green-and-white looked to get back in the driver’s seat following some recharging of their batteries. What ensued over the next nine minutes, however, was a knock-down, drag-em-out battle at both ends of the court, with Robinson stopping and popping for baskets and Davis crashing hard under the boards with as many big bodies as he could find. No matter the opponent – Ron Artest, Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol – Big Baby just leaned in and wrestled the victory away from L.A.
Beat L.A.: Robinson and Davis oozed enthusiasm to the hometown Celtics crowd.
The Celtics won the game, 96-89. But the reason was because Robinson and Davis rejuvenated their teammates and flatly denied L.A.’s players to battle back. If you missed the game, you missed a doozy. In the final quarter, Davis scored nine of his 18 points while Robinson provided additional adrenalin by tossing in six of his 12 points. With 2:50 left, and the scoreboard reading 85-77 Beantown, Boston’s Big Three (Rondo, Garnett and Paul Pierce, with apologies to Ray Allen) came back into the game and closed the deal. In fact, it was Rondo’s steal and subsequent bucket of an errant pass by Kobe Bryant with 33 ticks left that made the score 92-84 and sealed the Lakers’ fate.
At the post-game press conference, Robinson and Davis shared microphone time reminiscing about their glory. At one point, Robinson chimed in that Davis is like Shrek and he’s like Shrek’s sidekick, Donkey. Needless to say, it cracked up the media members in attendance and put another unique stamp on a so far titillating series.
Nate Robinson, left, and Big Baby Davis even wowed at the post-game press conference.
The NBA Finals stay in Boston for Game 5 on Sunday, which I predict will be a blowout by my shamrock-wearing friends. Game 6, back in L.A., should be a tight battle but – as you might suspect – I predict another victory for the Celtics, producing an outcome to match the 2008 NBA Finals. Celtics in six, baby. Celtics in six…Big Baby!
Popularity: 1% [?]
Brag Photo: A Mammoth Mail Day at Upper Deck
Posted by: | CommentsThe practice of incorporating fossils of dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures started last year in 2008-09 NHL Champ’s Hockey, a vintage set that boasted the catch phrase, “Where the ICE meets the ICE AGE…” The cards looked great and were a big hit with collectors with many selling for hundreds of dollars in the secondary market.
It was so popular, we brought it back again for the 2009-10 NHL Champ’s product. Acquiring some of these rare items is not always easy however and Upper Deck has gone all out to get some really unique pieces to include in the “Museum Pieces” insert set. Redemption cards for these unique inserts could be found 1:case on average.
So here are a couple items we received in today that we just had to share. The Woolly Mammoth femur is just huge and will be a little difficult to cut, but we have a special vendor we are working with to handle this. Check out a couple different images of this behemoth:
Here’s what the Woolly Mammoth looked like back in the day…
And then there is the giant prehistoric alligator tooth. This will be a one-of-one card as we likely will not risk cutting this artifact. It will be housed in a very thick card.
Here’s what the this creature looked like and an example of it’s skull compared to a regular alligator’s skull.
We are working diligently to acquire a few more unique pieces so we can begin the production process and get these out to collectors waiting on them this summer. We’ll share more images right here as these cards progress.
Leave a comment about what you think about these cards for your chance to receive a FREE box of 2009-10 NHL Champ’s. We will award one box to a lucky customer on Monday, June 14 at 10:00AM PDT.
Popularity: 4% [?]
