Office Depot Extends NASCAR Sponsorship Through 2012
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Office Depot To Sponsor Stewart In '09, Continue
NASCAR Sponsorship Through At Least 2012 |
As part of Friday's announcement that Office Depot will be a co-primary sponsor on Tony Stewart’s Sprint Cup Series car next year, the company also extended its deal as NASCAR's official office products supplier. Industry insiders pegged the deal at four years through the 2012 season. Sony, Kodak, DuPont, Domino’s, The Home Depot and Enterprise are among the other NASCAR partners whose deals are up for renewal. On Stewart’s car, Office Depot will take a 60% split, while the co-primary Old Spice will have 40%. Terms of the deals were not released, but sources said that Office Depot’s spend will be just under $20M annually and the total value between both sponsors will be close to $30M a year. Stewart's car will be No. 14, while the team's other Sprint Cup entry will bear the No. 4 (Michael Smith, SportsBusiness Journal). In Indianapolis, Curt Cavin reported Stewart's No. 14 car next season will be painted red and white. Stewart has yet to name a driver for Stewart Haas Racing's second car (INDYSTAR.com, 7/25). The STAR's Cavin on Saturday noted the paint scheme will be a "dramatic change from Stewart's orange No. 20," which is sponsored by The Home Depot. Stewart: "We already have been joking that we have a can that we have to put $10 in every time someone says Home Depot rather than Office Depot." Stewart "hopes to have the financial backing of the No. 4 car settled soon, along with the key support people that will comprise the backbone of both cars" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 7/26). Stewart: "Now we can concentrate on getting a second driver signed and getting sponsors for the second car” ("NASCAR Now," ESPN2, 7/25).
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Stewart Decides To Take Number Used
By Boyhood-Idol Foyt For New Ride |
A TEAM EFFORT: In Chicago, Skip Myslenski noted a Sprint Cup team "traditionally has had a single primary sponsor." But Stewart said of the two companies splitting the deal, "Everybody's realistic knowing what the economic situation is right now. It's hard to go out when the times are tough and expect sponsors to write $25[M] checks. If you can accomplish the same thing in a budget that works for two major corporations willing to work with each other, it makes it better for everybody all around. It just seemed like it made sense." Meanwhile, Myslenski noted Stewart was "forced to choose between 4 and 14, which presented him with a conundrum," because while 14 belonged to former driver A.J. Foyt, 4 was Stewart's first go-kart number. Stewart: "It was about a five minute tug-of-war. But it was pretty easy to decide that I wanted my all-time hero's (number)" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 7/26). Stewart added of the split sponsorship, "I'm not an owner of a major corporation. But it just seems like it made sense and I think the example that Rick Hendrick and Dale Jr. did with Dale's car led us to this idea. And once we've pitched this idea to both these companies, it was something that they felt like made a lot of sense" (THE DAILY).
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Keith Says Relationship With Stewart Has
Helped Old Spice Broaden Consumer Base |
STEWART A GOOD FIT FOR COMPANIES: In Ft. Lauderdale, Sarah Talalay wrote the deal is "significant for Office Depot." The company sponsors driver Carl Edwards through the end of this season, and he "gave the company flair, but Stewart raises its profile in a sport known for its fiercely passionate fan base." Stewart "appealed to Office Depot because he is a businessman, who owns a legendary Ohio short track, Eldora Speedway, and is part owner of two other tracks." Office Depot Dir of PR Mindy Kramer said of Stewart, "He knows what it's like to run a business" (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 7/26). Meanwhile, Procter & Gamble Beauty GM/North America Deodorants Alex Keith, who handles work for Old Spice, during Friday's news conference said of the brand's relationship with Stewart, which began in '00, "We started partnering with Tony one year after he started with NASCAR and that was really for us about three things: broadening our consumer base, becoming more relevant to young guys and to exhibit our passion for winning." Keith added, "As Tony's success and popularity grew, our relationship with him deepened. I think you've seen some examples of that in the Tony Stewart Old Spice limited edition products that we sell. The creative use of Tony Stewart's arm pits in our television advertising you might have seen and our partnership with the Tony Stewart Foundation, the Victory Junction Gang Camp and Give Kids the World" (THE DAILY).
GENUINE CHEVROLET: Chevrolet Racing Marketing Dir Terry Dolan, when asked about Chevy's role in Stewart's return to the manufacturer, said, "There is no question that there was a lot of internal work put together to make this day. If you look at history with our marketing programs, we've had some of our greatest performances when we've used Tony as a spokesperson and an ambassador for our brand" (BOSTON GLOBE, 7/26).
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