In January 2010, the NBA announced that collectible maker Panini Group had been appointed their exclusive trading card partner. Conover Tuttle Pace (CTP), Panini’s AOR, was told that Panini’s new NBA product would launch only a few weeks later. Something had to be done to create a splash for Panini and for its new NBA Adrenalyn trading card game. A cross-country mobile tour that would make 13 stops at NBA markets was devised. Such an undertaking is massive, says CTP’s executive VP Brian Heffron. Here are some tips on making a mobile tour a success:
• Establish the goals up front. “Panini America wanted us to put the card game in the hands of kids to introduce the fun of trading cards,” says Heffron. CTP then provided hard numbers on cards distributed, attendance and media hits at each stop.
• Dive Into details. Have folks on your team who are obsessed with organizing and managing spreadsheets, flowcharts and punch lists.
• Pick the right road crew. For a national tour, Heffron recommends working with a partner to handle the heavy lifting. Literally. Its partner, Wide Angle Group, was “equal part roadies and brand evangelists,” says Heffron.