Panini and the NBA
The exclusive NBA licensing agreement affords Panini a much-anticipated opportunity to expand into the U.S. market.
The four-year agreement extends until the fall of 2013. This gives Panini ample time to plan a comprehensive program to give basketball fans and hobby enthusiasts every chance to become more involved with trading cards.
Emphasis is stressed on producing quality collectibles which have become a tradition and expectation in the U.S. market and Panini will build on this experience. Having an exclusive licensee benefits both the consumer and the trade as it reduces oversaturation and provides consumers with more clearly defined choices to start their collections.
Providing trade support is another key principal for Panini’s U.S. management. Both hobby and retail are given special focus in all areas of product development, marketing and customer service.
Panini understands the importance and value of the hobby market and is working hard in conjunction with the NBA to provide specialized support and promotional activity. Panini has set up a Hobby Shop Advisory Board to foster regular and direct dialogue on products and marketing plans. A preferred hobby program also provides excellent promotional material and consumer incentives.
Panini has vast experience in exciting and encouraging collectors both young and old and brings the full force of its marketing program to support the collectible industry and the sport itself. Panini provides collections suitable for hobby and core collectors and encourages younger collectors through mass-market, easy-to-collect series that add fun and excitement to the hobby and the sport. This approach develops new sports fans who become loyal supporters.
The Panini Group was established almost 50 years ago in Modena, Italy and with its subsidiaries throughout Europe and Latin America, it is the world leader in the published collectibles sector. Panini is also the leading multinational publisher of comics, children’s magazines and manga in Europe and Latin America. The Panini Group, which approached $1 billion in sales in 2008, has distribution in 100 countries and employs a staff of more than 700. Its newest addition, Panini America, Inc., is based in Arlington, Texas.
