NASCAR driver Danica Patrick will become the "new face of tourism in the Daytona Beach area in a series of digital advertising spots" being produced next month, according to a front-page piece by Jim Abbott of the Daytona Beach NEWS-JOURNAL. The Halifax Area Advertising Authority BOD this week "unanimously approved spending" $130,000 out of the authority’s annual $3.1M marketing budget to hire Patrick to "star in spots to emphasize the area’s appeal beyond the familiar themes of motorcycles, NASCAR and spring break." Daytona Beach Area Convention & Visitors Bureau Dir of Market Development Shawn Abbatessa said that Patrick "will be paid $100,000 for the 8-hour production shoot." Abbatessa: "Our goal is to shoot as many as we can during that time frame. They are very fun spots that play to Danica’s sense of humor and her nature." Abbott reports the initial idea is to present Patrick in "various scenarios, swinging a golf club in an ad highlighting that sport, grilling seafood in a dining-related spot, even practicing yoga." Each ad will be accompanied by the following catch-phrase: "Forget what you thought you knew about Daytona Beach, because no matter what you’re into, this place is totally your speed." Patrick has the "right to approve the scripts." Abbatessa said that the contract calls for Patrick to "provide eight social media posts about the Daytona Beach area to her roughly 93 million followers" (Daytona Beach NEWS-JOURNAL, 11/17).
