T
TonyB
Guest
NASCAR.com
By Stephanie Stoughton
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- NASCAR's new image ad campaign debuts this month with legends Fireball Roberts and Lee Petty competing in a hair-raising fantasy race against modern drivers like Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon.
Call it a compromise, at least for NASCAR.
As this fast-growing sport goes mainstream, NASCAR is concerned about eroding its loyal fan base while trying to reach new markets.
So the TV ads, which start airing Feb. 15 during the Daytona 500, aim to strike a delicate balance: pleasing the old NASCAR fan who can rattle off yesterday's names and numbers while cautiously reaching out to the newbie perhaps drawn by the simple thrill of stock-car racing.
"We are always going to be very careful, while continuing to grow the sport, about alienating the avid fan," said Roger VanDerSnick, NASCAR's managing director of brand and consumer marketing. "We are very cognizant of the balancing act."
The series of six ads, developed by the Richmond-based Martin Agency as part of an estimated $20 million contract, begins by introducing drivers like Lee Petty, Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt Sr., Ned Jarrett, David Pearson and Tony Stewart to the music of Boston's rock ballad, "Long Time."
By the third ad, drivers are zooming by in ancient Fords and new Chevrolets -- thanks to technical wizardry by a Martin Agency team and outside film experts. The group spent hundreds of hours poring over film dating back to the '40s and looking for specific angled shots to fit the imaginary race.
"It was like a puzzle," said Cliff Sorah, the team's creative director. "It was a very complicated thing."
NASCAR's longtime fans may be quick to spot racing pioneers like Lee Petty and Fonty Flock in the ads. The ads' developers also hope the slices of history -- in a mix of black-and-white and color film _ will convert casual spectators into avid fans. If that fails, there's always the excitement of fast cars whizzing by in ads that feel like music videos.
The advertising firm has not put the final touches on the last ad and remains mum on the race's outcome. The ads will air on NBC, Fox, TNT, FX and the Speed Channel throughout the 10-month NASCAR season.
Although the NASCAR ads note Nextel Communications Inc.'s title sponsorship, they are separate from the telecommunication company's new marketing campaign, which, in the short-term, aims to make fans aware that it's now the Nextel Cup rather than the Winston Cup.
The ads come at a time when NASCAR, owned by the France family, is going through tremendous changes. By signing a 10-year, $700 million deal, Nextel replaced Winston cigarettes maker R.J. Reynolds as title sponsor. Darlington Raceway in South Carolina lost the big Southern 500 race on Labor Day weekend to a young track in the Los Angeles area.
And as the sport has expanded, drawing 75 million fans and becoming the No. 2 sport in terms of TV ratings, the faces in the crowd have begun to change. The stereotype of a NASCAR fan is white, blue-collar, male and Southern. But today, stock-car racing fans are spread across the country, from Los Angeles to Boston. About 40 percent of fans are female. Forty-two percent earn $50,000 or more a year.
Although the number of black and Hispanic fans has increased, NASCAR officials acknowledge the percentages do not reflect the U.S. population and say they are trying to encourage diversity among the teams and drivers.
What has unsettled some purists are changes to the sport's tradition: a shift to big cities and a new points system that rewards winning over consistency.
Max Muhleman, president of IMG/Muhleman Marketing in Charlotte, N.C., said some fan discontent is to be expected and that NASCAR has done an admirable job of growing its business.
Although rising ticket prices may have discouraged some fans, the sport's expansion will likely pay off and please sponsors who desire more exposure, said Muhleman, a longtime sports marketer.
But NASCAR knows it's risky to lose too many loyal fans. And for good reason: NASCAR says the sport's fans are three times as likely as nonfans to buy products from sponsors -- which helps explain why teams, drivers and tracks are plastered with brand names.
Fans like Chuck Leuschen, a retired federal government employee in Richmond, purchased Tide, Fords (he bought three) and Kodak film because he believed his purchases would support the independent teams in addition to the sport. "Like I've said, NASCAR fans are very loyal to their sponsor," he said.
Increasingly, though, Leuschen says he has felt left behind as ticket prices have climbed, the local track has expanded and the sport has drawn a new crowd of fans.
"I haven't gone in quite some time," he said. "The last race we attended, the tickets were $95 a seat. And they were not choice seats."
NASCAR's VanDerSnick said the sport has been careful not to make fans like Leuschen feel left out, though some aspects -- like ticket and hotel prices -- are beyond the sport's control.
"It's a struggle," he said. "The system is, frankly, subject to supply and demand."
By Stephanie Stoughton
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- NASCAR's new image ad campaign debuts this month with legends Fireball Roberts and Lee Petty competing in a hair-raising fantasy race against modern drivers like Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon.
Call it a compromise, at least for NASCAR.
As this fast-growing sport goes mainstream, NASCAR is concerned about eroding its loyal fan base while trying to reach new markets.
So the TV ads, which start airing Feb. 15 during the Daytona 500, aim to strike a delicate balance: pleasing the old NASCAR fan who can rattle off yesterday's names and numbers while cautiously reaching out to the newbie perhaps drawn by the simple thrill of stock-car racing.
"We are always going to be very careful, while continuing to grow the sport, about alienating the avid fan," said Roger VanDerSnick, NASCAR's managing director of brand and consumer marketing. "We are very cognizant of the balancing act."
The series of six ads, developed by the Richmond-based Martin Agency as part of an estimated $20 million contract, begins by introducing drivers like Lee Petty, Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt Sr., Ned Jarrett, David Pearson and Tony Stewart to the music of Boston's rock ballad, "Long Time."
By the third ad, drivers are zooming by in ancient Fords and new Chevrolets -- thanks to technical wizardry by a Martin Agency team and outside film experts. The group spent hundreds of hours poring over film dating back to the '40s and looking for specific angled shots to fit the imaginary race.
"It was like a puzzle," said Cliff Sorah, the team's creative director. "It was a very complicated thing."
NASCAR's longtime fans may be quick to spot racing pioneers like Lee Petty and Fonty Flock in the ads. The ads' developers also hope the slices of history -- in a mix of black-and-white and color film _ will convert casual spectators into avid fans. If that fails, there's always the excitement of fast cars whizzing by in ads that feel like music videos.
The advertising firm has not put the final touches on the last ad and remains mum on the race's outcome. The ads will air on NBC, Fox, TNT, FX and the Speed Channel throughout the 10-month NASCAR season.
Although the NASCAR ads note Nextel Communications Inc.'s title sponsorship, they are separate from the telecommunication company's new marketing campaign, which, in the short-term, aims to make fans aware that it's now the Nextel Cup rather than the Winston Cup.
The ads come at a time when NASCAR, owned by the France family, is going through tremendous changes. By signing a 10-year, $700 million deal, Nextel replaced Winston cigarettes maker R.J. Reynolds as title sponsor. Darlington Raceway in South Carolina lost the big Southern 500 race on Labor Day weekend to a young track in the Los Angeles area.
And as the sport has expanded, drawing 75 million fans and becoming the No. 2 sport in terms of TV ratings, the faces in the crowd have begun to change. The stereotype of a NASCAR fan is white, blue-collar, male and Southern. But today, stock-car racing fans are spread across the country, from Los Angeles to Boston. About 40 percent of fans are female. Forty-two percent earn $50,000 or more a year.
Although the number of black and Hispanic fans has increased, NASCAR officials acknowledge the percentages do not reflect the U.S. population and say they are trying to encourage diversity among the teams and drivers.
What has unsettled some purists are changes to the sport's tradition: a shift to big cities and a new points system that rewards winning over consistency.
Max Muhleman, president of IMG/Muhleman Marketing in Charlotte, N.C., said some fan discontent is to be expected and that NASCAR has done an admirable job of growing its business.
Although rising ticket prices may have discouraged some fans, the sport's expansion will likely pay off and please sponsors who desire more exposure, said Muhleman, a longtime sports marketer.
But NASCAR knows it's risky to lose too many loyal fans. And for good reason: NASCAR says the sport's fans are three times as likely as nonfans to buy products from sponsors -- which helps explain why teams, drivers and tracks are plastered with brand names.
Fans like Chuck Leuschen, a retired federal government employee in Richmond, purchased Tide, Fords (he bought three) and Kodak film because he believed his purchases would support the independent teams in addition to the sport. "Like I've said, NASCAR fans are very loyal to their sponsor," he said.
Increasingly, though, Leuschen says he has felt left behind as ticket prices have climbed, the local track has expanded and the sport has drawn a new crowd of fans.
"I haven't gone in quite some time," he said. "The last race we attended, the tickets were $95 a seat. And they were not choice seats."
NASCAR's VanDerSnick said the sport has been careful not to make fans like Leuschen feel left out, though some aspects -- like ticket and hotel prices -- are beyond the sport's control.
"It's a struggle," he said. "The system is, frankly, subject to supply and demand."