Panini America has signed No. 2-overall NFL Draft pick Robert Griffin III to an endorsement deal. Under the agreement, Griffin's first trading card will be part of Panini's '12 Prestige release in late May, early June. Griffin autographs will be in all 18 Panini NFL releases, and he will also be in Panini’s HRX video trading cards. In addition, he will participate in social media campaigns for the card marketer. He will also appear on packaging. CAA's Mark Heligman reps Griffin, who has previously signed deals with adidas, Castrol, EA Sports, Gatorade and Subway. Panini has already signed No. 1 overall pick Andrew Luck. As of presstime, the company had signed 24 of the 32 first-round NFL draftees, including eight of the top 10 (Terry Lefton, THE DAILY).
PICK OF THE LITTER: ESPN’s Kristi Dosh reported Madison Avenue “has its sights on” Griffin more so than Luck. New England Consulting Group Dir of Business Development John Stone said, “When it comes down to marketability, it’s no contest. Luck is awkward in the way he speaks. RG3 is a rock star.” He added, “If you look at some (of) the most iconic marketing stars in the last decade -- (Derek) Jeter, (Peyton) Manning, (Michael) Jordan -- RG3 is ahead of them at the same age as far as charisma, overall dynamic personality, his ability to communicate, his authenticity and just being a refreshing personality.” Dosh noted Griffin came out on top in the most recent Q Score survey receiving an overall score of 20, "five points above the average for all NFL players.” Half of all sports fans “are at least familiar with him.” Luck is “slightly more well-known, with 54 percent of fans saying they’re familiar,” but his Q Score come in “below Griffin’s at the NFL average of 15, meaning more sports fans identified Griffin as one of their favorites rather than Luck” (ESPN.com, 4/26).
