If it’s good to be NASCAR driver Joey Logano on the track in 2015, it’s not a bad alternative to be his business manager — and that’s where Warren Vigus comes in. Vigus, a former Octagon account executive who has managed Logano’s off-track endeavors since late 2013, has grown the driver’s endorsement portfolio fourfold in terms of revenue since Logano won this year’s Daytona 500. Among those new deals for Logano, 25, are agreements with Domino’s, Wheels Up and Planet Fitness. In a recent interview at Joey Logano Racing headquarters in Huntersville, N.C., Vigus talked about Brand Logano, the future of the NASCAR sponsorship market, and how doing business has changed over the years.
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It’s more important to find the right brand than just getting the next deal. There’s been a lot of opportunities we left on the table because it didn’t fit, especially after Joey won the Daytona 500 and the spotlight that’s been on him and the momentum he’s had over the last
2 1/2 years since he came to [Team] Penske.”
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Photo: JOEY LOGANO RACING
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On the importance of B2B in NASCAR: That’s getting more and more important because you can track it a lot better. A lot of people want to see your ROI and say, “Let me see some metrics and evidence that the sponsorship is worth the spend.” A lot of time with exposure, it’s hard to really track that, and you can get a number and it’s something to gauge it by, but it’s less tangible. When you do couponing and go out there with social media and tracking, it’s something that’s straight black and white.
On increased work by teams and business managers: There’s a lot of stuff that we’re doing that agencies used to do. I have a lot of contact with our partners all around, and by supporting their social media platforms, providing ideas for the programs they have, it’s kind of like everybody’s working together and nobody is saying, “This is not my job.” It’s about going the extra leg to keep those partners and show them you’re the best. That’s being flexible and understanding the change [in the industry over the years]. It’s, “How you can differentiate yourself and set yourself apart?”
On building Logano’s brand: We’re looking for the long-term play like, “What makes sense for Joey now that will make sense for him 10 years from now?” How can we grow together by being like a family and learning about what they’re trying to do with their brand and business?
On trying to get younger sports fans into NASCAR: The opportunity there [is big] because I think our sport really needs millennials, and Joey’s winning races right now. There’s a lot of eyeballs on him, and it’s important to take advantage of that because he’s not always going to [be that young]. Knowing what millennials want: For me, I try to focus on what’s important to them and try to integrate that into what we’re doing with Joey because I think Joey can be that guy to bring the millennials into the sport more so than some drivers who are running where he is but they’re not millennials.
