PCGS Versus NGC Marketing

Oh dear, CoinBlazers rambling about TPGs again.
Question, how does PCGS and NGC differ in Marketing, advertising and PR?
Additional thought- how does PCGS vs NGC portray themselves to collectors, ad here, promos here. Do they do it correctly?

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

If we count the product itself as marketing/advertising (like a soda can), I find NGC way more appealing. I think the whole presentation and slab is a lot nicer than PCGS. It shouldn't, but I won't lie that it does have weight in my decision of which TPG I will eventually send a coin to.

 

I think that it is all based off of the coin and the grade. For example a Mint State 64 RB 1909 S VDB Cent Slabbed by PCGS or NGC trends around 1,800 biased off of grade and the value of the coin. I don't really think that it makes much of a difference in value weather or not it is graded by NGC or PCGS. Just so long as it is verified and certified by one of those two.
Ebay Sold:

NGC- https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fr...064&_dcat=39455&rt=nc&LH_Sold=1&LH_Complete=1

PCGS- https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fr...064&_dcat=39455&rt=nc&LH_Sold=1&LH_Complete=1

 

...he should know better than that ....

 

I agree but do you consider one of them to be more convincing when you see there ads?

 

I seem to lean more towards NGC but I love PCGS too.

 

From a purely marketing standpoint PCGS does a better job, especially with this new team. They've embraced various aspects of social media better, have several smart phone apps that are actually useful, and if you look at the websites the PCGS one blows the NCG one out of the water.

PCGS also has the benefit of marketing the top coins in their holders where a lot of the time when NGC brags about one of theirs it gets crossed over anyway. The 3 million dollar PF 66 trade dollar that sold at fun has already been crossed over to PCGS as a 65+ by Hanson. NGCs marketing approach seems to focus a lot on being "the official grader" of this and that which of course are just sponsors they are paying for the rights for.

 

@CoinBlazer

If you're a member of Collectors Universe, try complaining about PCGS on their forums and see what happens.

If you're a member of Collectors Society, try complaining about NGC on their forums and see what happens.

Note: I haven't been a member of either for a few years, but I know what it used to be like.

Chris

 

Marketing is just marketing...it's like asking who's the better sales person...

 

I should have also added that PCGS also does their own calander, their own magazine, the periodic table poster ect.

One of the really smart things they also do is that when you submit to them you get back a blue PCGS box for your coins, that's a marketing decision as it gets those boxes all over out in the wild. NGC could do the same thing, but they don't and would rather charge a stiff price for their boxes so very few people ever buy them.

I was waiting for that lol

 

The day ANYTHING "social media" matters to me is just the day after the plague of locusts signifying the apocalypse.

The periodic table idea was ripped off from the ANA, who did it first.

 

Only if you submit for than (I think) 10 coins or more

 

I've gotten one with as few as 4 coins last year. I'm pretty sure they realized that the extra couple cents those boxes cost are worth the customer liking it and the free marketing with those things being so available.

 

I like the NGC slabs over PCGS's.... but honestly that's about it.

Submitting coins is easier on PCGS's website, they send their coins back in a plastic box and not just cardboard, they send monthly market reports, and as someone else mentioned, you get a free calendar. I also got a Nike DriFit polo with the PCGS logo on it.

I've noticed PCGS has more free giveaways on social media than NGC has done recently.

Yet, I still pick NGC over PCGS simply because I like their slabs better. Wish they'd offer the color slabs again.... I know they say they don't do them anymore, but I've seen my fair share of MCM coins in red and black slabs.

 

They do for bulk submitters, but some of the bulk submitters also have exclusivity on some of the cores just like the labels. HSN is the only submitter that can get the flag core for example.

 

I prefer NGC to PCGS. I like their holders better. I used to prefer their registry as well, but now they've gone the way of PCGS.

NGC Boards, while less active, allow you to be critical of anything Numismatic (up to a point of being professional) whereas PCGS boards are much more restrictive in this area. The PCGS boards also tend to be more cult like.

When buying a coin for my collection, I evaluate the coin and don't really care whether it's in a PCGS or NGC holder. I do own some ANACS graded coins as well. I have not attempted to cross any coins to either TPG, but I believe PCGS holdered coins receive slightly higher bids at auction.

 

It all just depends on how subjects are approached. If someone gets aggressive or makes wild accusations yes that doesn't go well but there has been countless criticism that was left when done in an intellectual way.

Unfortunately a lot of the times when a criticism thread is removed it isn't because of the OP but rather because subsequent posters go off the rails.

That said though there's very likely more posts on the CU boards in a day than the NGC ones in a month. NGC has US, World, and Ancient in one subcategory and even with all the pinned threads things are still on the first page pretty consistently that haven't had a reply in a week or more.

 

Yes, the boards and EVERY OTHER ASPECT OF THE COMPANY AS WELL.