Anheuser-Busch today announced it is re-upping as the official brewer at Daytona Int'l Speedway. A-B as part of the multiyear deal will brand four different bars that are being built at DIS. A-B also will retain naming rights to the infield area Budweiser Bistro. The brewer's deal will see it get rights to use Daytona IP on packaging and point-of-sale displays, plus hospitality and other on-site activation opportunities. DIS' partnership with A-B dates back to the ‘70s and is the track’s longest standing deal. Budweiser previously held naming rights to the season-starting Duel at Daytona event preceding the Daytona 500, but A-B dropped that sponsorship after this year's event. The new agreement will see A-B brand two bars in the center "injector" entrance, which is the only one of the five for which the track has yet to find a naming-rights partner. The brewer's two other bars will be elsewhere at the facility. A-B at the bars will promote Budweiser, Bud Light and Busch, which is becoming the brewer's lead NASCAR brand next season. A-B Dir of Experiential Marketing Nick Kelly told THE DAILY that A-B “no longer wants to be wallpaper at a sports venue." Kelly: "We want to be a brand who helps enhance the fan experience during some of the greatest moments in sports.” He added that DIS “shares the same vision we do when it comes to the future of engaging not just race fans, but all sports fans in a state of the art facility.”
: Kelly noted that A-B is choosing to deploy multiple brands in the facility because the venue hosts multiple forms of auto events, such as sports-car racing, which tends to attract a more well-heeled demo. DIS VP/Marketing Sean Belgrade said the Daytona Rising project was a "key piece” in the renewal for A-B, which has been reassessing its sports commitments recently. Meanwhile, Kelly noted A-B execs “continue to maintain a relationship with nearly a dozen NASCAR race tracks, but our focus for the next ninety days is to create disruptive activations specifically" DIS and the Daytona 500.
