NASCAR will stage 15-25 branded concerts from May-
August next year in partnership with CBS and TNN, according
to Terry Lefton of BRANDWEEK. Tentatively called "The
Nascar Summer Music Festival," the tour will bring
"mainstream acts to locales that typically do not host
races," in an attempt to "reach outside" NASCAR's
southeastern core markets. NASCAR sponsors and licensees
are being offered sponsorship packages that include signage,
hospitality and media by way of NASCAR's TV partners. TNN
and CBS will produce prime time specials showcasing concert
highlights and will also tie in local radio and TV affils
and cable operators. Neither talent nor specific sites have
yet to be booked, but Denver, Chicago and N.Y. will be
venues for the outdoor concerts (BRANDWEEK, 5/25 issue).
THE OTHER ONES: AD AGE's Jeff Jensen also reports on
the concert tour and writes that NASCAR execs are
undertaking initiatives to "craft branding strategies and
integrated marketing programs" for its other properties,
including the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and the NASCAR
Busch Series. Jensen writes that perhaps "most ambitious"
is NASCAR's intention to develop a branded platform linking
nine different regional touring series, representing more
than 2,000 events each year (Jeff Jensen, AD AGE, 5/25).
