Question

Topic: Advertising/PR

Marketing $500k Of Sports Memorabilia All At Once

Posted by Anonymous on 3/27/2014 at 3:13 PM ET 250 Points
Hello Marketers,
I was approached by an individual who was a very close friend of Larry Bird and has lots of sports memorabilia from Larry and the Boston Celtics that he is wanting to sell to supplement his retirement. The ONE Catch is that he wants to sell it all at once!! All or nothing... This individual was offered $250K for the collection, but he didn't think it was enough and wanted to hire me to help him advertise to someone (Bar Owner, Larry Bird Super Fan...etc). I can't put into words how much signed memorabilia that this guy has. I put a few pictures and video on Flikr, to help show what I am working with. My job is to help him Market his collection and get it sold. I was thinking about building a video with a story line on who this guy is, how he came to owning this stuff and the small stories that go with almost every piece. While talking to him, I was blown away with the little details of how he got all of his collection. I was planning on making this video and putting it in forums, social media, different blogs.. Trying to get it in front of as many people possible. Possibly even overseas. ANY HELP would be very much appreciated! I have attached a Flikr address that i posted a few pictures and a short video to show you what I am working with. The URL is https://www.flickr.com/photos/121591176@N08/.

Again, I hope I hear from lots of you with this cool project I have. I have a pretty small budget to work with

~Brian
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by Peter (henna gaijin) on 3/27/2014 at 4:09 PM Accepted
    I would consider going through an auction house that specializes in this. They could do it as 1 lot, if he really requires that. And they would know how to promote it properly and have a list of potential customers. Given the money talked here, doing it right could next quite a bit more money. I know this takes you out of the loop, but it might be the right thing for the seller.
  • Posted on 3/27/2014 at 6:10 PM Author
    I have looked into an Auction house, but didn't have much luck. Thanks for the comment though
  • Posted by Gary Bloomer on 3/27/2014 at 6:14 PM Accepted
    The stuff's only worth what someone is willing to pay for it (and then, probably only at auction0.
    One big issue could be authentication. Another could be the stubbornness of the seller. It's a buyer's market and really, your client needs to understand that he (or she0 may not be in the bargaining position they think they're in.

    By all means make a video and put it on youTube and Vimeo. Just be aware that the likelihood
    of finding just one buyer willing to pay for the whole collection is slim.
  • Posted by mgoodman on 3/27/2014 at 6:20 PM Accepted
    I've been through a similar drill with a legendary baseball player and the books and other memorabilia. You might ask why it's so important to sell everything at once. If you can have some time to explore different approaches, you can probably take in a lot more money. Does your contact absolutely need all the money at once?

    Separate issue: The budget you have is only small because someone doesn't think you need to spend more to make more. There's no free lunch, so if the goal is an important one, maybe it's worth spending something more commensurate with the desired result. Marketing isn't free. As I recall, we spent about 20-25% of sales on marketing. If you do that, you'll have a decent budget.

    "Small budget" is a choice, not a mandate from the world.
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