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| The sponsorship of Jon Wood’s Craftsman Truck Series entry will run through the season. |
Proving an initial two-race deal wasn't just a novelty, U.S. Sen. Bob Graham's presidential campaign committee recently expanded its sponsorship of the Roush Racing Ford driven by Jon Wood in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series to a mid-six-figure deal for the second half of the season.
The strategy now includes a Bob Graham For President line of Ford collectibles and sports-related events in the early caucus and primary states of Iowa and New Hampshire. The strategy also mimics an approach that Graham's current advisers have used with other candidates to target a difficult-to-reach voting demographic.
Not only could Graham, D-Fla., benefit from the goodwill of having saved Wood's ride from extinction this year after a sudden pull-out as sponsor by the U.S. Navy, but a core demographic of NASCAR — white, Southern and Midwestern males and females, many of them rural — are seen as having swing-vote potential in the 2004 presidential election.
In addition to adding the 13-race commitment, the Graham campaign will sponsor an appearance by former MLB pitcher Ferguson Jenkins at an Iowa Cubs game Aug. 14, sponsor a dirt-track car owned by Democratic state legislator Dave Schrader in Iowa, and introduce its own line of Graham For President collectibles — stickers, hats and die-casts — on grahamforpresident.com and in many NASCAR collectible stores.
It also parked a street version of the Roush truck near the New Hampshire International Speedway during the recent Winston Cup and Busch series race weekend at the track, and had more than 500 people stop by to pick up Graham campaign literature.
"In the mid-'80s and 1990s, the swing voter was found primarily in suburbs, but there's been a shift the last eight to 10 years where the voter who will consider jumping [parties] tends to reside in rural areas," said Steve Jarding, Graham's communications director, who along with partner Mudcat Saunders has developed similar strategies for other candidates at the gubernatorial and national level. In 2001, Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mark Warner sponsored Wood's Craftsman Truck Series vehicle in a Virginia race before winning the election.
Jarding said the campaign planned to get involved in NASCAR in the early stages. He pointed to NASCAR fans' brand loyalty and said the campaign's sponsorship has impressed non-Roush fans who perceive Graham as "good for NASCAR" in keeping a team on the track. Visits to the grahamforpresident.com Web site jumped by 50 percent in the days after the partnership was announced.
Jarding said the 22-year-old Wood appeals to the right demographic, and his "I don't know much about politics but I do know a good person when I see one" approach to Graham is perfect for warming up skeptical swing voters. Wood recently attended a fund-raiser for Graham with Winston Cup Series driver Ward Burton in Roanoke, Va., where reportedly 1,000 people waited for autographs.
But what about the realities of race day? Do candidates fear the image of a vehicle bearing their name smashed up or in flames?
"That point is made by marketers of properties who are doing everything they can to keep sponsors away from NASCAR," said Geoff Smith, president of Roush Racing. "There's no negative brand association with 'Oh, my logo is crinkled today.' It's more, 'I fought hard and got bruised today and I'll be back to fight tomorrow.'"
