Topps® Baseball Cards
Stimulating Consumer Loyalty for Over 10 Years

Objective: The goal was to increase sales of Bowman® Baseball Cards from Topps® by generating purchase continuity in an aging category. Adult males are heavy users who collect baseball cards as an investment.

Challenge: The obstacle was to generate loyalty in a category characterized by heavy switching.

Solution: We created the first promotion in the baseball card category that guaranteed the value of a complete set of cards. The breakthrough Guaranteed Value Program protected consumers’ investment against uncertainty. For only $5, consumers purchased an agreement from Topps to buy back all 440 cards in the set for $125, twice the going market rate. Collectors could exercise their option during a four-month window three years into the future.

Elements: A complete program description was included in each pack of cards, and advertised in Becketts, the bible of sports memorabilia.

Results: Becketts awarded this program “Promotion of the Year.” The entire series was sold out before distribution. The brand exceeded its sales objectives by 100%! Consumers changed their purchasing patterns and became loyal by collecting all 440 different baseball cards, and buying cards by the box (24 packs per box) instead of by the pack. This cost-effective program has run for 10 years.