Earnhardt Jr., Sony team up to tout high-tech toys
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Enlarge By Mark J. Rebilas, U.S. Presswire
Dale Earnhardt Jr., shown during qualifying for the Jim Stewart 400 at Richmond International Raceway on May 4, is trying on new endorsements for size.
By Nate Ryan, USA TODAY
Dale Earnhardt Jr. is no longer the platinum-blond party animal who relished episodes of all-night revelry as a Nextel Cup rookie, and his new sponsors reflect that change.
Sony will announce Thursday that NASCAR's most popular driver has signed a personal endorsement contract with the high-end consumer electronics company. Adidas is set to announce another deal with Earnhardt next month.
Thayer Lavielle, the vice president of marketing and brand development at Earnhardt's JR Motorsports, said the new business partners are a reflection of an older, wiser Earnhardt.
"I don't think we're trying to reposition him; I think we're evolving with him," Lavielle said. "He has grown a lot as a person since his rookie season, and as he matures, we have to grow his brand with companies that are authentic to who he is."
FIND MORE STORIES IN: NASCAR | Nextel | Sony | Motorsports | Richmond International Raceway | Budweiser | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | Mark J Rebilas | Jim Stewart
The question is whether that means the party could be over for Budweiser, the sponsor of Earnhardt's No. 8 Chevrolet since 2000. Earnhardt is moving in 2008 to Hendrick Motorsports, which has sponsors lined up for its four cars, leaving Budweiser's future with Earnhardt in doubt.
Earnhardt has a personal services deal for '08 with the beer company, which has spent millions promoting him. Mike Bartelli, senior vice president of motor sports for the Millsport sports marketing agency, said Earnhardt, who will turn 33 in October, might not be as good a fit as early in his career because Budweiser markets primarily to males younger than 30.
"Dale Jr. is moving out of their laser-target demo," Bartelli said. "While he still speaks to guys in their mid-20s, he's moving away from that. A lot of people would say it's a given that Budweiser would never sacrifice all the equity they've built up in him, but they're going to have to at some point. If they're true to the brand, they can't affiliate with Dale Jr. forever."
David Carter, executive director of the University of Southern California's Sports Business Institute, said Earnhardt's new alliances might be analogous to the career endorsement path of Andre Agassi. The tennis star morphed from a self-proclaimed rebel who declared "image is everything" to pitchman for American Express.
"As Dale Jr. gets older, there may be a different and equally compelling set of brands he can align with," Carter said.
There likely will be no shortage of companies waiting to fill any void left by Budweiser. Since Earnhardt agreed to terms last week with Hendrick, NASCAR's most successful team, Lavielle said sponsor interest has spiked.
"There's so much opportunity with the news," Lavielle said. "But we also have to take a hard look at it. We don't want to oversaturate. It's not about who can throw the most money at us. Dale has to be behind it in a way that this is a product that I really love."
Sony was an easy choice for Earnhardt, an avid online racing gamer who likes high-tech gadgets and computers. He primarily will hawk high-definition products (such as TVs, camcorders, cameras and Blu-ray disc players) for Sony, joining Peyton Manning and Michelle Wie as its high-profile endorsers.
"His love for our products was a big benefit," said Stuart Redsun, Sony's senior vice president of corporate marketing. "I know he was really excited to get his hands on a lot of our games."
Updated 17h 58m ago | Comments 16 | Recommend 11 E-mail | Save | Print | Reprints & Permissions |
Enlarge By Mark J. Rebilas, U.S. Presswire
Dale Earnhardt Jr., shown during qualifying for the Jim Stewart 400 at Richmond International Raceway on May 4, is trying on new endorsements for size.
By Nate Ryan, USA TODAY
Dale Earnhardt Jr. is no longer the platinum-blond party animal who relished episodes of all-night revelry as a Nextel Cup rookie, and his new sponsors reflect that change.
Sony will announce Thursday that NASCAR's most popular driver has signed a personal endorsement contract with the high-end consumer electronics company. Adidas is set to announce another deal with Earnhardt next month.
Thayer Lavielle, the vice president of marketing and brand development at Earnhardt's JR Motorsports, said the new business partners are a reflection of an older, wiser Earnhardt.
"I don't think we're trying to reposition him; I think we're evolving with him," Lavielle said. "He has grown a lot as a person since his rookie season, and as he matures, we have to grow his brand with companies that are authentic to who he is."
FIND MORE STORIES IN: NASCAR | Nextel | Sony | Motorsports | Richmond International Raceway | Budweiser | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | Mark J Rebilas | Jim Stewart
The question is whether that means the party could be over for Budweiser, the sponsor of Earnhardt's No. 8 Chevrolet since 2000. Earnhardt is moving in 2008 to Hendrick Motorsports, which has sponsors lined up for its four cars, leaving Budweiser's future with Earnhardt in doubt.
Earnhardt has a personal services deal for '08 with the beer company, which has spent millions promoting him. Mike Bartelli, senior vice president of motor sports for the Millsport sports marketing agency, said Earnhardt, who will turn 33 in October, might not be as good a fit as early in his career because Budweiser markets primarily to males younger than 30.
"Dale Jr. is moving out of their laser-target demo," Bartelli said. "While he still speaks to guys in their mid-20s, he's moving away from that. A lot of people would say it's a given that Budweiser would never sacrifice all the equity they've built up in him, but they're going to have to at some point. If they're true to the brand, they can't affiliate with Dale Jr. forever."
David Carter, executive director of the University of Southern California's Sports Business Institute, said Earnhardt's new alliances might be analogous to the career endorsement path of Andre Agassi. The tennis star morphed from a self-proclaimed rebel who declared "image is everything" to pitchman for American Express.
"As Dale Jr. gets older, there may be a different and equally compelling set of brands he can align with," Carter said.
There likely will be no shortage of companies waiting to fill any void left by Budweiser. Since Earnhardt agreed to terms last week with Hendrick, NASCAR's most successful team, Lavielle said sponsor interest has spiked.
"There's so much opportunity with the news," Lavielle said. "But we also have to take a hard look at it. We don't want to oversaturate. It's not about who can throw the most money at us. Dale has to be behind it in a way that this is a product that I really love."
Sony was an easy choice for Earnhardt, an avid online racing gamer who likes high-tech gadgets and computers. He primarily will hawk high-definition products (such as TVs, camcorders, cameras and Blu-ray disc players) for Sony, joining Peyton Manning and Michelle Wie as its high-profile endorsers.
"His love for our products was a big benefit," said Stuart Redsun, Sony's senior vice president of corporate marketing. "I know he was really excited to get his hands on a lot of our games."