NASCAR Senior VP & CMO Jill Gregory said that the new title sponsorship deal with Monster Energy is the latest in a "concerted push by NASCAR in recent years to increase its appeal" to a younger audience, according to a front-page piece by Clayton Park of the Daytona Beach NEWS-JOURNAL. The Univ. of Northwestern Ohio Fanzone at Sunday's Daytona 500 will include a Kids Zone that will have a "spider jump as well as inflatables and interactive games; a display promoting the upcoming 'Cars 3' animated kids movie that will include two life-sized characters from the upcoming film; and youth-specific on-stage games on the Alert Today Florida Main Stage." On Thursday, NASCAR and Disney are "set to make an announcement also related to 'Cars 3.'" NASCAR Managing Dir of Brand & Consumer Marketing Peter Jung said, "It's all about a way to interact with kids in a relevant way." According to Nielsen data, the "average age of adult NASCAR fans is 48 years." Monster Energy VP/Sports Marketing Mitch Covington said that the "age range of NASCAR's core fan base 'skews a little bit older.'" Covington said in the days leading up to the Daytona 500, "you'll see a lot of Monster/NASCAR branding around town (in the Daytona Beach area) at retail outlets," as well as at the DIS. Convington: "We want to blend in and be part of the Daytona 500 experience. Monster is all hands on deck. We're all in with NASCAR" (Daytona Beach NEWS-JOURNAL, 2/21).
MONSTER'S WAY: The AP's Mark Long noted other than the Monster Energy girls at Sunday's Advance Auto Parts Clash, there has been "little promotion by the company" at DIS. Monster "isn't selling drinks at concession stands, and there are no ads spread around the track." There was even a billboard in the fan zone "promoting NBC's television coverage that still had the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series logo plastered in the middle" (AP, 2/20). What "grabbed the attention" of some fans at Sunday's Advance Auto Parts Clash were the "titillating outfits worn by the victory lane models." Some fans called the "leather-clad Monster Energy models inappropriate and not suitable for a racing audience" (AJC.com, 2/20).
