Topps will be airing its first-ever brand awareness advertisement in the company’s history during the 2024 Olympic Games nationally on NBC, the company announced on the first full day of the National Sports Collectors Convention Thursday morning.
It’s also believed to be the first brand awareness ad in trading card and collectibles history that isn’t focused on a specific product launch.
The 60-second advertisement, titled “Joy,” highlights the shared love of collecting and the bond between a father and son as they purchase two packs of Topps Chrome baseball at a hobby shop. After driving home, the son is seen opening the pack in their kitchen, where he and his father share in the excitement of pulling a 1-of-1 Shohei Ohtani card. l After inserting it into a protective sleeve, the son puts it in a box and places it on a shelf. The ad shows as time goes by with the box untouched on the shelf. Years later, the son — now a grown man with a son of his own — sits down with his son and goes through the box of cards.
They remove the Ohtani card from its box, leading the kid to ask his father how much the card is worth.
“Everything,” replies the father, who was seen in the first scene buying the pack with his own father.
“Can I keep it?” the kid asks.
“No,” the father replies, placing it back in the box, with the understanding the card will one day be passed down.
The ad spot, directed by Cannes Lion Grand Prix award-winning director Matt Aselton, ends with the words “This is why we collect” and closes on the Topps logo.
This marks the first time the company has aired an advertisement focused solely on the brand rather than a specific product.
Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct.