When it comes to the sport of cycling, Lexus continues to dig in.
The auto manufacturer expanded its cycling portfolio in 2015 by adding the Amgen Tour of California and the UCI Road Cycling World Championships in Richmond, Va. Those joined earlier deals with Colorado’s USA Pro Challenge and Pennsylvania’s Bucks County Classic. Sources valued the deals in the low to mid-six figures.
Brian Smith, Lexus’ vice president of marketing, said the cycling sponsorships provide a platform to target affluent millennials.
“We saw that they are now moving into making luxury purchases,” Smith said. “We looked at activities that are most interesting to affluent millennials, and cycling is way up at the top.”
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The carmaker sees cycling as a good way to reach affluent millennials.
Photo by: Lexus |
At the country’s two largest races, the Amgen Tour of California and the USA Pro Cycling Challenge, Lexus provided a free two-year lease on an NX 200t sport utility vehicle to both the men and women’s overall winners. A wrapped Lexus drove the course distributing swag and snapping branded photos, and a finish-line activation tent included a virtual reality cycling challenge, daily autograph sessions with riders, and test vehicles.
At both races, Lexus’ primary activation was the use of between 130 and 150 vehicles that were driven by referees, race management and team officials.
“We’re a 1,000-person-deep business traveling from city to city,” said Kristin Bachochin Klein, executive director for the Amgen Tour of California. “The vehicles they provide are instrumental over the eight days.”
The four deals make Lexus perhaps the most visible brand in American cycling less than two years after it entered the sport. Previously, Nissan maintained sizable deals with the Amgen Tour of California and USA Pro Challenge in addition to its deal with Lance Armstrong’s RadioShack Pro Cycling team. But the brand ended all of its cycling sponsorships in 2012 after Lance Armstrong’s public doping admission.
“Cycling is a big commitment for any auto manufacturer,” said Kelly Staley, director of corporate sales for AEG. “That many vehicles plus the insurance liability alone can be daunting.”
Smith said that the cars Lexus uses during each bicycle race are sold through dealers after each event.
Smith hopes to grow Lexus’ footprint in cycling in a similar model to its golf presence. In addition to its pro golf deals, Lexus and its dealers sponsor 195 Champions for Charity golf tournaments, which qualify amateur players for a three-day event at Pebble Beach, Calif.
Regional Lexus dealers currently sponsor a handful of amateur cycling events, such as California’s Bottega Gran Fondo, and South Carolina’s Gran Fondo Hincapie.
“I’d love to have every Lexus dealer find an amateur race, a Gran Fondo or a charity ride to connect with,” Smith said.
Fred Dreier is a writer in Colorado.
