Chris Olds- The Official Panini Apologist

Facebook Home: "Chris Olds Re: All look the same ... (regarding Panini Threads Basketball)

The difference between Donruss (the philosophy started with that company) now Panini and other companies is that they believe in building upon their brands. None of these designs have been done in basketball before obviously, but they feel that name recognition for 'Elite,' for example, in every sport they do is important.

They could create a new brand and then dump it the next year, but that doesn't help build any momentum. You can think of countless one-shot products through the years, but they've stuck with names that people recognize. They know what to expect out of Certified or Elite, etc. -- it's comfortable. (It's also somewhat safe -- you know how a line like Certified is received -- but something completely new might be a dud.)... See More

Personally, I think it's trendy to rip them for this. Other companies have been doing it, too, for some time. However, they don't do it as much."

Ugh . . . ok. Or it could be a lack of innovation and risk taking, creativity, initiative, design talent, or a combination of one or several of these elements.