Johnson marks Carvana's first sponsorship in motorsports, though it has done other sports marketingChris Owens/IndyCar
Auto retailer Carvana sees Jimmie Johnson going to IndyCar as comparable to the story of Michael Jordan trying out baseball, and the company will use that to help grow its brand awareness among racing fans as Johnson’s primary sponsor at Chip Ganassi Racing this season. Carvana co-Founder & Chief Brand Officer Ryan Keeton said that Johnson and his business manager John Lewensten set the deal up personally with Carvana co-Founder & CEO Ernest Garcia III. The company was attracted to the way Johnson was going from Goliath in NASCAR to David in IndyCar. Carvana, which typically markets its car vending machines and delivery of cars to buyers’ homes, will use the new Ganassi partnership to try to tie in how both Johnson and Carvana are trying to do new things in their respective crafts. Keeton said of Johnson starting a new chapter, "That story was super interesting to us, but from there the drive behind Jimmie and him wanting to go out and push himself ... folded in well with how we approach our business and how we’ve changed the way people buy cars." This is Carvana’s first deal in motorsports, but it has done other sports marketing. The brand is handling the marketing around the partnership in house but is also working with the racing team on activation strategy.
MARKETING PLANS: Carvana is planning for a car design that hews to the blue color scheme in its logo. Carvana will have an emphasis on social/digital content with this deal and will try to show off to racing fans how the company’s car-buying process works. For example, Carvana could use the Ganassi car on its website to show off its technology that lets a user do a 360-degree inspection of a car before buying it. Keeton said that key performance indicators will be brand awareness with racing fans but that Carvana also has back-end analytics that will allow it to track any lift website traffic, financing cars and getting deliveries. Keeton said it was too early to know whether Carvana will buy other advertising assets around the sport, such as TV ads or at-track signage, to support its team partnership. Johnson said of working with Carvana: "They’re a car company that is really pioneering the way car buying takes place online, and their savviness and approach to everything seemed like a great fit. ... (Discussion) moved quickly, and (Garcia) could see the opportunity of me moving from NASCAR to IndyCar."
OTHER RACING EFFORTS: Johnson will contest all the street circuits and road courses in the '21 season but not the ovals, meaning he is slated to take part in 13 of 17 events. He is also taking part in the IMSA Rolex 24 sports car race at Daytona this weekend with Action Express Racing, which is owned by NASCAR Chair & CEO Jim France, and sponsor Ally -- his primary sponsor the past two years at Hendrick Motorsports. Johnson will be a brand ambassador for Ally for the duration of '21. He has a two-year deal with Ganassi. Johnson told SBJ that "that door isn’t shut 100%" on possibly racing in the ’22 Indy 500, should things go smoothly this season, but he added that the chances are still fairly slim at the moment.
