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Marketing and Sponsorship

Aaron's Will Not Return As NASCAR Team Sponsor In '16 After MWR Deal Expires

Aaron’s, which has been a longtime team sponsor of Michael Waltrip Racing, will not sponsor a NASCAR team next year, the company confirmed yesterday to THE DAILY. The Atlanta-based rent-to-own retailer’s contract with MWR was up for renewal, but MWR is set to close shop following the '15 Sprint Cup Series season after Principal Owner Rob Kauffman bought a stake in Chip Ganassi Racing. In a statement, Aaron’s wrote, “We have decided to take some time off from a team sponsorship for the 2016 season. The NASCAR fan base is an important audience for us and we have built substantial equity over the past 15 years. We are exploring creative ways to continue to participate in the sport in 2016 including media, brand relationships and track activation.” Aaron’s had been in talks in recent months with more than a few Sprint Cup teams about a possible new deal, according to sources. Those teams were holding out hope as recently as a few weeks ago that the company could be convinced to switch to one of them. But the company, which underwent a CEO change last year, ultimately decided the ROI was not there. Aaron’s has been a sponsor in the sport for the last 15 years and committed a significant portion of its marketing budget to NASCAR over that time period. The company, which first sponsored Michael Waltrip in the Xfinity Series in '01, went through a stable of drivers through the years with MWR from Waltrip to Mark Martin and, more recently, Brian Vickers and David Ragan. Aaron’s other sports marketing sponsorships are by and large home plays, including deals with the Hawks, Falcons and Braves. It also had an at-track activation presence at numerous NASCAR tracks. The future of those relationships at this time is unclear.

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