Monday, April 27, 2009

Win Free Prizes for Providing Input on Press Pass Legends 2009!

Press Pass wants your input! We are working on our 2009 release of Press Pass Legends and are interested in drivers that you would like to see included in this year’s product.

Please review the list of 30 drivers below and give us your opinion on 5 ADDITIONAL drivers that you would like us to consider for inclusion in Press Pass 2009 Legends. Please keep in mind that the drivers you select can be from other forms of racing and can include any driver featured previously in Press Pass Legends, but not listed below.


Please choose the 5 drivers you would most like to see in Press Pass Legends 2009 that aren’t listed below.

Bobby Allison
Davey Allison
Mario Andretti
Kyle Busch
Ralph Earnhardt
Dale Earnhardt
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Carl Edwards
Tim Flock
Jeff Gordon
Dale Jarrett
Ned Jarrett
Jimmie Johnson
Alan Kulwicki
Terry Labonte
Mark Martin
Rick Mears
Benny Parsons
David Pearson
Lee Petty
Richard Petty
Tim Richmond
Fireball Roberts
Tony Stewart
Curtis Turner
Al Unser
Bobby Unser
Rusty Wallace
Darrell Waltrip
Cale Yarborough

Two participants will be randomly selected to win a box of 2009 Press Pass Premium!


BONUS QUESTION:
Tell us who you think are the top racing families of all-time. List (in order) your opinion on the top families of Motorsports. Provide between 5 and 10 responses.

One participant will be randomly selected to win a vintage Dale Earnhardt Jr. autograph!

Please respond no later than May 12th in order to be eligible for the prize drawings. Be sure to include your name and email address so we can contact you if you win.

Double Yellow

What a race this weekend turned into! Talladega at it’s best folks and I’m glad everyone walked away too. Watching Brad Keselowski take his first trip to victory lane while dueling it out with top Cup stars Carl Edwards, Dale Earnhardt Jr and Ryan Newman was a thrill. Was anything else even on television yesterday? I was glued to this race. Until yesterday, most of the Cup races have been a bit on the mundane side with a few minor exceptions at the short tracks.

I think though that we can almost always count on ‘Dega for a thriller from start to finish. Nascar has helped with the excitement level first with the restrictor plates and now with the double yellow line rule. As we all know, you can’t improve position passing below the double yellow line – hence the Regan Smith debacle at the last Talladega race. Of course if Smith holds his car above the line last year, he spins Stewart and wins the race. That’s exactly what Brad did yesterday. He had a run on Carl, and when Carl went for the block, Brad did the only thing he could do without being penalized by Nascar: hold his line. Even the Nationwide race on Saturday was a knockout with David Ragan claiming his first win in any of the top three series with a last lap pass.

Congratulations to Brad Keselowski on his first Sprint Cup victory! Look forward to seeing him win a few more and maybe the All-Star Race as well. Check out upcoming Press Pass Nascar trading card products for cards of Brad Keselowski, David Ragan and all the other top stars of Nascar.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Opportunity Knocks, Will You Answer

As we endure the 16th month of the current recession there are many opportunities and decisions that are uniquely apparent. As a Sales Rep for Press Pass it was a timely decision to re-establish the Press Pass die cast brand by bringing back the traditional 1:80 scale Tractor Trailer. Known as the flagship collectible to sports die cast enthusiasts, the 2009 tractor trailer will be clearly marked with the date on the rear panel of each truck. Although this may seem insignificant to many casual fans, the die cast collector will have the opportunity to continue display their cherished yearly collectible that originated in 1989 with White Rose.
This seemingly small change along with the re-introduction of the NFL car with card gives both collectors and retailers a great opportunity. Sports die cast can be to a retailer what the familiarity and emotional security of comfort food offer to today’s consumer. Press Pass’ die cast line offers both collectible and play value as well as two attractive price points that most value conscious consumers will consider affordable.
As we all re-examine both our personal and business spending patterns, it is crucial to make sure your business’s marketing and promotional dollars are well spent. Here are six cost effective methods of promoting your business that may offer a good return for the resources that you have to spend.
A. E-mail marketing: An effective e-mail marketing campaign costs very little and has a much higher response then direct mail marketing. Ask for customer e-mail addresses and specific interests. Classify and manage this information effectively for a low cost, high return campaign.
B. Create a presentation on the hobby that is appropriate for community groups, schools, summer camps or any organization that might want a speaker with an interesting topic. Use any type of media you are comfortable with including Power Point, sound, video or samples. This tool can be an effective way to promote your business by attracting new collectors.
C. Pay per click internet advertising: Although this can be expensive, you have the control to limit keywords, clicks per day, and the money you spend. The other advantage to this method is the ability to track every unique visitor to your website and see if you are getting your desired return.
D. Social Networking: This exploding category is only limited by your knowledge of the applications available. Whether you are “tweeting” about the 2009 Chicago Bears Tractor Trailer or you are creating a business profile on Face book or My Space. Do not ignore the opportunity that message boards, blogs, forums, and other social networking web sites present.
E. Remnant Space Advertising: As ad revenues drop precipitously now is the time inquire about the unsold space or air time from various media outlets. Be sure to check appropriate sources for your business including national and regional magazines, radio, newspapers, and television. Remnant or excess advertising inventory can sell for 75-90% off of line pricing.
F. Public Relations: Have you reached out your local library to participate in the kid’s summer reading program? Consider holding “non-traditional” events at your store or business to attract local, national, or even international attention. These events could be anything from a blood drive to a collection for your local food bank. The opportunity comes just in time as nonprofit groups around the country are reporting a surge of interest in volunteering as a rise in unemployed workers meets an increase in human need. All you need is a few new loyal customers from these events to make your efforts pay off.
There are two notable examples of how investment in previous economic downturns has paid off. Many conventional thinkers would have been happy to invest in a dotcom during its peak in 1999. In fact the best time to start a technology based company was in 2002 after the huge downturn when the price of starting a business including real estate to programming talent was lower. Finally there is the famous example of John D. Rockefeller Jr. who was charged with spending his father’s fortune. In 1931 construction began on Rockefeller Center. At the time this was seen as privately funded public works project. The building was completed in 1946 and over 75,000 were employed in its construction. Needless to say the investment has paid off as Rockefeller Center still maintains its place as pre-eminent building in the city that never sleeps.

Benjamin Goldman
Senior VP Operations
National Sports Associates