As NASCAR fans stroll into the Folds of Honor activation area this month at Atlanta Motor Speedway, they may feel their smartphone vibrating with a message pinged out from a nearby beacon through the speedway’s app.
The message will provide information about Folds of Honor, the co-title sponsor of the track’s annual NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. It also will direct users to a page where they can donate to the nonprofit organization, which provides scholarships and other assistance to the families of military men and women who have been killed or disabled in combat.
Similarly, as fans file into one of the new “injector” entrances at the newly renovated Daytona International Speedway for this weekend’s Daytona 500, those with that track’s mobile app will receive similar messages. For example, should they walk into the Toyota injector, a message on their phone could welcome them to the space and let them know the experiences available to them, such as test driving a Toyota Tundra truck on a dirt course.
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| Fans with Daytona’s app will receive alerts on their phones as they walk throughout the racetrack. |
In NASCAR’s nearly 60-year history, signs and verbal communication from on-site representatives have been the mediums of choice for track operators and their sponsors to get the word out to fans about products, services or causes available at the race, plus directions around the facility. But as 2016 gets underway, messaging is about to get much more targeted. Both of the sport’s major track operators will be implementing iBeacon technology for the first time.
International Speedway Corp., which owns Daytona and 11 other NASCAR-sanctioned tracks, debuted its system with the IMSA Rolex 24 at Daytona in late January, though the real test will be this weekend with the Daytona 500.
Speedway Motorsports Inc., meanwhile, which owns Atlanta Motor Speedway, will debut its effort there next week during the QuikTrip Folds of Honor 500.
While blasting info to fans on their mobile devices is nothing new in NASCAR, the iBeacon technology will take the utility of the tracks’ mobile apps to a new level by employing advanced wayfinding technology and sending out customized messages to fans as they pass certain areas.
“It’s just another reason to download the app — and that’s a big push for us this year,” said Mike Burch, senior vice president of national sales and marketing of SMI, which owns eight speedways. “We had great adoption last year, but we really want to make having that on-your-phone element be a vital part of getting the most out of the race.”
The technology was installed at SMI tracks by San Diego-based Igniteble, while ISC declined to disclose which vendor it is using. It serves two main purposes: Getting information — be it promotions or directions — out to fans in a much more targeted manner, and simultaneously building a CRM data profile for the track to use in its marketing and prospecting.
The iBeacon technology is also fairly cheap to install: Track operators can equip a speedway with the beacons for the low to mid-five figures, according to SMI’s Burch.
To start, SMI will use its iBeacons more to disseminate information and promotional activities than for helping fans find their way around the facility. SMI was introduced to the technology by partner and sunglasses maker Spy Optics, which may offer a discount to fans as they walk by Spy Optics’ activation area on the midway as a way to lure them over.
On the other hand, ISC, which has deployed more than 1,000 beacons across Daytona, is using the wayfinding aspect of iBeacons right from the start, as well as the promotional aspect, as Daytona’s sprawling size necessitated using both aspects.
“It’s currently about the immersive experience,” Tina Martin, ISC’s chief information officer, said when asked why the corporation eyed iBeacon technology. “The new stadium [that is Daytona’s renovated frontstretch] is the highlight, and we want to ensure that we’re providing every possibility to increase that fan experience and really ensure they’re having a great time while they’re here on property. …
“We have fans who have been here over 30 years, and ensuring those fans who are coming back are able to find their amenities and seats as easily as they had in the past [is important].”
Burch said the goal is to eventually get all interested sponsors on the midway to incorporate iBeacon messaging into their activations, while Martin said ISC is focusing on helping Daytona’s founding partners at first but could eventually expand into other areas.
The technology also could be deployed with concessionaires, who could relay info on which kiosk has the shortest line or gluten-free/healthy food options. Sponsors or merchandisers could alert fans about a driver appearance or a new product.
“I think it benefits everybody who is at the facility: We can drive awareness for whatever anybody’s objective is,” Burch said. “If Toyota at Charlotte [Motor Speedway] has a new vehicle rolling out or a new feature or something that’s unique that they’re really pushing at their display, we can reinforce that by making fans aware of that via the app and getting them with that message when they’re in proximity.”
Burch said that if the iBeacon technology is successful, it could be extended to SMI’s other speedways by next year.
Martin said that ISC also could scale the technology across its portfolio of tracks based on results at Daytona.
NASCAR’s independent tracks, including Dover International Speedway and Pocono Raceway, are taking a wait-and-see approach toward the technology.
