Panini, without a doubt, has been at the top of the game for marketing promotions outside the normal giveaways one would expect. Their draw at the National Card show and during Black Friday were enormously successful, even though many of the cards in the giveaways are just repurposed leftovers from previous products. Regardless, I give them credit, because free stuff is free stuff, and I think they have done a good job with building some nice content. As a father myself, its a great idea to celebrate the people who make up the target demographic of the hobby.

2012 Panini Father’s Day Andrew Luck Auto RC

2012 Panini Father’s Day Robert Griffin III Auto NFL Shield

2012 Panini Father’s Day Kobe Bryant Shoe Card

2012 Panini Father’s Day Lebron James Finals Used Ball Card

Their latest incarnation of the free pack giveaway is in celebration of Father’s day this weekend. I have to say that this is a great idea, and the content seems to be worthy of praise, especially considering how many autographs and relics can be obtained. Some of the big hits have already been posted on eBay, and I think its going to drive some major interest in these packs, much like previous ones.

My one observation has to do with some of the content built around the 2012 NFL Rookie class, as I cannot be the only one shocked that Panini’s first cards of the rookies in their NFL gear are NOT in a normal packed out product. I am even more surprised that there are autographs on these cards as well, especially considering that Prestige doesn’t come out until next week. Although it strengthens this giveaway, it’s a testament to how ill prepared Panini looks for what could be the most valuable rookie class in a decade.

Additionally, there are arguments that can be made around the fact that the free packs of this stuff really aren’t free, as collectors are forced to buy one of the many awful existing products in order to get access to the packs. Both of the football products, Totally Certified and Prime Signatures might have been some of the worst boxes of the year, and Panini seems to have the shop owners in mind who have multiple cases of this crap sitting around collecting dust in back rooms. I would not be far off if I said that Totally Certified is totally not worth the awful and hideous foil it is printed on, especially since the product failed so miserably in Basketball before the inexplicable transition to football.

Regardless, the giveaway will be successful because collectors live for swag. In the words of Michael Scott, there are people out there who could decorate a condo with the free stuff from these types of giveaways. Bottom line, it will take ideas like this to move the ball forward, and I am looking forward to hitting up my local shop to see if I can score a few packs for myself.