NASCAR Senior VP & CMO Jill Gregory talked to THE DAILY about the racing circuit's new bar logo and the new logo for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Here are some highlights from the conversation.
* On the process of changing the Cup Series logo: "What we did was we threw up all of the different components: You've got a sponsor name, you've got what we need to do from a sanctioning body standpoint, the debate about using Cup, not using Cup, all of those opportunities were on the table for us; we didn't discount anything. So lots of whiteboards and different sketches and iterations, but much thinking went into it and I think we wound up in a great place."
* On how comfortable Monster is with the new name of the premier series, which still includes the word "Cup": "They've been very supportive. They were right there, side by side with us, when we made the decision. So there was pros and cons on both sides and I think we really talked it through. I think that was appealing to them -- to have some of that history that fans identify with this top series. And I think the inclusion of 'Cup' was a real positive on that side. So I think they were very happy with how it came out."
* On the new bar logo: "We knew that starting at the beginning of the 2017 season we would have a new partner, and that provided an opportunity to take a look at everything. That change was going to be a big theme for 2017, but we wanted to spend enough time to contemplate a change in the bar, kind of main corporate identity. So we spent a lot of time internally and externally kind of asking all the right questions and determining what we really needed and taking advantage of this opportunity to freshen and modernize something that's been really successful for us for many years."
* On how the new bar came out: "We took a look at all the previous NASCAR marks -- what we used throughout history; what were some key components that resonated at the time -- and really wanted to pay respect to the history and tradition of NASCAR, but also create a mark that could be functional with digital and social and television, and would be new and fresh looking into this era of change."
* On working with Rare Design on the creation of the two new logos: "We've worked with Rare, a good boutique firm with designers who have a history with Nike Brand among other things. They worked on the logo itself, but really looking at the overall NASCAR brand and look, what we might do to take advantage of this period of change to make sure that our brand, our marks were going to be as relevant and topical as they could be, while we partner with a new series sponsor. So started with the brand, evolved into the NASCAR mark which is part of the brand identity, then also worked on the joint mark with Monster."
