I've noticed that games get selected almost on the peer pressure system -- if a whole bunch of people are playing something on a busy day at the store, others want to check it out. The theory is, if several people are playing at once, it's got to be good, so check out whatever it is.
Strategy: get a team of folks from the various local game shops with small ACtA followings together, and then show up on a busy day at one person's store as a mass, to generate the buzz. When people come to check out what the big thing going on is -- that's a stone cold lock -- then get them moving ships. Then explain that you don't have to have minis, these counters are allowed too, just as well, and cheaper.
Take the moving tour from each small local shop to the next, showing this wealth of interest -- even if all the interest isn't local -- to each local shop. No need to tell the observers that some folks had to drive a long ways to show up!
This strategy should work extremely well come 2nd Edition, when the new players will only need to buy one product to get going, not a whole stack.
