K
imberly Meesters landed at Sprint just as the company started looking to shake up its NASCAR sponsorship. It was 2012, and the company was in the midst of finalizing a title sponsorship deal for the opening race of the season. It fell on Meesters to help figure out how to activate it.
The race, which became known as the Sprint Unlimited, was designed to highlight the company’s unlimited data packages, and Meesters played a central role in developing an activation that would give fans a say in how the non-points race was structured. Fans could vote for a green-white-checkered finish, the number of race segments, and the number of tires taken at a pit stop. If they voted on a Sprint device, their votes counted twice.
The inaugural Sprint Unlimited in 2013 was a huge success for the brand. More than 1 million people voted over 28 days. The sponsorship delivered more than $11 million in earned media and 69 percent more broadcast exposure for Sprint than previous title sponsor Budweiser.
Now Meesters is in charge of helping Sprint re-evaluate its marketing and activation programs across the sport. Sprint cut back the number of times it brought its Sprint Experience display to tracks this year, and it is evaluating all of its marketing programs to determine if they’re delivering a return for the business.
“We have a new CEO, and the mantra is: We have to get Sprint back in the game and be more competitive,” Meesters said. “How does that translate to our Sprint Cup sponsorship? We have to make sure in 2015 we’re winning market share and converting customers.”
— Tripp Mickle
