NASCAR Taking Hit Amid Downturn, Yet Sponsors Still See Value

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MAKING SPONSORSHIPS WORK: Rovell noted when sponsors "talk about the value of NASCAR, they often talk about the unprecedented access they receive." Having a primary sponsorship for a driver's car "allows a company to use the driver before every race for big appearances." Aflac VP/Marketing Services Al Johnson, whose company sponsors driver Carl Edwards' No. 99 car, said in addition to utilizing Edwards in marketing, the company is "building relationships with the other sponsors of NASCAR." Johnson: "It's very important to us." Meanwhile, Sprint VP/Sponsorships & Media Tom Murphy said of the company's title sponsorship of NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series, "This is a superior marketing asset and we judge it in the ways any marketer would, no differently than when we buy television advertising and airtime. ... This is a giant, giant ad machine for us."

ADDED VALUE: Pepsi-Cola Energy Drinks VP/Marketing Lauren Hobart, whose Amp brand co-sponsors NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt's No. 88 car along with the National Guard, said the Earnhardt sponsorship has helped to "drive awareness up to 76% from what had been in the 50s." Hobart: "It was just honestly the perfect storm." Rovell noted Amp is now in fourth place in the energy drink category, "up two spots" from when it first signed on to sponsor Earnhardt, and the brand "got more bang for its buck," as Hobart said over $750M in Amp-branded merchandise was sold at tracks last year. Hobart: "That’s the power of NASCAR. That's the power of Dale" (CNBC, 7/9).

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