As the new race season gets underway with the opening Daytona 500 flagship race, NASCAR has launched a major, multi-market ad-led marketing initiative with parallel objectives to deepen engagement with existing fans and also to make non-fans more aware of the sport and thus to potentially lead them towards becoming future fans.
Launched with a ‘Daytona: The Greatest Race Awaits’,
and ‘Daytona: Are You Ready?’ spots,
the commercials, which focus on storytelling and on-track action, will air on Fox and NBC affiliates in nearly 20 US markets through the season.
The NASCAR launch television commercial illustrates this action-led, storytelling with a twist approach, while supporting digital creative revolves around drivers talking in their own race shops about getting ready for the Daytona 500.
The creative is due to run throughout 2019 and, in a different tactic from the race series rights-holder’s previous approach, these ads will be shown during non-NASCAR related programming.
NASCAR is rolling out local ads on local Fox and NBC affiliates in key target regions (including cities with races such as Atlanta,
Charlotte, Kansas City and Orlando and those without races like Cleveland, Milwaukee, Raleigh and Tampa).
“Everything we’re doing is story line driven — the core of NASCAR is about the racing, drivers and rivalries, and that may take a different form or have a different emphasis, but the focus is on the core product,” explained NASCAR executive VP and CMO Jill Gregory.
Simultaneously, running in parallel to its own campaign, NASCAR has launched a new media partnership with Barstool Sports.
Comment:
According to Sports Business Daily, NASCAR is making a hefty marketing investment on the initiative costing between $10m and $20m – a sizeable sum as the rights-holder attempts something different to try and drum up support.
And it certainly needs to.
It’s no secret that NASCAR is at a crossroads.
Fewer fans have been watching the sport and those who have remained are getting older.
Changes have been made but most of them haven’t really resulted in a consistent uptick in ratings.
While most moves have taken place on the track, NASCAR has made moves off the track.
Steve Phelps was named the new president of NASCAR near the end of last season and when CEO Brian France was arrested for DWI, Jim France stepped in and has been welcomed by many within the sport.
This year saw broadcast partner Fox Sports dial down its quirky ‘Daytona Day’ marketing theme,
and instead it ran a more traditional campaign focused on track action.
backed by plenty of supporting video content.
Links:
Nascar
https://www.facebook.com/NASCAR
https://www.youtube.com/user/TheOfficialNASCAR
Fox Sport
Leave a comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.