Recently I was asked to share how Upper Deck had learned to think differently with regards to marketing at the iMedia Brand Summit. My presentation began with a short video talking about the Star Rookie card we created for our good friend Jack Hoffman.
After the video I was excited to share stories about other inspirational athletes we have worked with like Doc Jacobs, Mandi Schwartz, Jack Miller, Sam Tageson and John Makowiec.
It was a thrill to be able to present in front of so many savvy marketers for major brands as iMedia always does a great job of bringing incredible personalities together at this event. It was also important to share that we were not helping these inspirational athletes and their charities for any other reason than it was the right thing to do.
My favorite part of the day however was bringing the trading cards to life for attendees. You see we brought in Doc Jacobs to sign autographs and pose for photos with attendees during the lunch session. Doc made headlines when he earned a tryout with the Los Angeles Dodgers and most recently the Chicago White Sox as a double amputee and Purple Heart recipient. For me it was great to see Doc again as he is a major inspiration for me, but I think attendees got a lot out of visiting with him as well.
Honoring these inspirational athletes is the right thing to do and we appreciate all the support our fans have given them. It is exciting as we continue to add more athletes to this stable of “Heroic Inspirations” like we did most recently with Josh Harding. Look for more great stories to come in the future!
