Insider Trading

No, the topic of this blogpost has nothing to do with Enron, it is about Major League Baseball's recent efforts to promote themselves among young people. "National Baseball Card Day" will be declared tomorrow and free packs of officially licensed Topps and Upper Deck baseball cards will be distributed to young people at Toys R Us and other retail locations across the nation. You can even get the free cards off of MLB.com. The giveaway is primarily aimed at the youngest baseball fans. "It's one of the first touchpoints for kids on getting to know the teams and the players," says Colin Hagen, vp of licensing for MLB Properties. Currently, 47% of U.S. youngsters aged 8 to 12 claim to be baseball card collectors, according to research from KidSay Tracker. That’s a five-fold percentage increase among kids prior to MLB Properties’ dual licensee strategy. Hobby stores and retailers who participated in a similar giveaway around Father’s Day two years ago reported results dramatically boosted sales. Hagen said National Baseball Card Day would now be a fixture on the MLB schedule.

This promotion has two goals: to increase card sales, and to build opening day buzz for baseball. Targeting young people is a good idea because they grow into the fanatic fans we see today. And what better way to build buzz with kids? Baseball cards create an overwhelming word of mouth. Kids share them with friends, brag about them, trade them, and just talk about them in general. I remember having tons of trading cards as a young chap. It is a nostalgic, fond memory bringing them to school and showing them off. If Topps, Upperdeck and MLB are successful in their "National Baseball Card Day", look to see it happen annually. Im sure the ROI is worth it.