NASCAR's New Ad Campaign Will Target Many Of Racing's Demos

NASCAR's "How Bad Have You Got It?" campaign from Y&R, Chicago, which depicts "hardcore fans' love for the sport of auto racing, has morphed into a much more complex, three-part, eight-spot effort with separate advertising aimed at different segments of the vast auto racing audience," according to Lewis Lazare of the CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, who notes new ads are set to break during the February 16 Daytona 500 on Fox. The approach "reflects the growing popularity of the sport and NASCAR executives' belief they need to directly address the various constituencies within that expanding circle of NASCAR followers." In the latest effort, "Driver's Mind" is an "overarching mood campaign intended to convey a visceral sense of what auto racing is all about." A second campaign, "Everything Could Change," targets the "casual fan and features memorable moments in auto racing, with appearances" by drivers Kurt Busch and Kevin Harvick. A third campaign, "For the Obsessed," is an "evolution of the 'How Bad Have You Got It?' campaign" introduced two years ago (SUN-TIMES, 2/7). In Chicago, Jim Kirk notes the three "Driver's Mind" ads feature Matt Kenseth, Ricky Rudd and Ryan Newman (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 2/7).