Cash loan company Advance America on Friday is announcing a new personal services agreement with NASCAR driver Danica Patrick. Rights for the deal include placement on Patrick's race helmet, the use of her name and likeness on traditional and digital media and social media support. The deal will kick off with a new TV spot featuring Patrick talking about overcoming obstacles in her life with the help of a crew, which Advance America says is meant to be analogous to how it helps its customers do the same. Advance America Senior VP/Marketing, Communications, Training & Recruiting Trudy Boyles: "The NASCAR fanbase aligns very closely with our customer base, so it was a natural fit for us and great way to reach our customers in a different way. ... Danica left home at a very young age and worked her way up, and I think that's very much the story of our consumer." Advance America Senior VP/Public Affairs Jamie Fulmer added, "Our customer base -- hard-working, middle-income Americans -- love NASCAR, so as we thought about our marketing initiatives over time, this was something that's always been on our radar screen." Advance America works with Zimmerman Advertising on marketing and Powell Tate for PR.
