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Marketing and Sponsorship

Team Epic to handle activation for Sunoco in motorsports

While the NASCAR season won’t start until February at Daytona International Speedway, we’ve got an early winner. Team Epic has triumphed in an agency shootout that lasted about three months to handle activation of Sunoco’s 11-year-old NASCAR sponsorship, for which Sunoco has been designated as the official fuel of the circuit.

The assignment was with Octagon, which sources said competed for the business, along with GMR and IMG.

Sunoco’s other motorsports sponsorships, which include a new 10-year deal starting this year as the NHRA’s official fuel, and its IndyCar commercial patronage, were also part of the RFP. Sunoco has sponsorships with about 50 domestic motorsports racing circuits in the U.S. and has been calling itself “the official fuel of motorsports.” Accordingly, Team Epic will be tasked with supporting that ambitious and broad-based claim.

We’re also told Sunoco was seeking more activation for its motorsports sponsorships away from the track, both at retail, where it claims 5,000 outlets in 25 states, and in its overall marketing, as the footprint of Sunoco continues to expand beyond its Northeast roots.

While Sunoco’s brand has been a fixture in motorsports for years, the company has changed dramatically in the last two years, during which it was bought by Energy Transfer Partners and merged with Susser Petroleum, another acquisition of Energy Transfer Partners.

A deal with Vox Media/SB Nation will give Julian Roberts’ “JRSportBrief” national exposure.
> EXPANDING BRIEF: Julian Roberts’ “for the sports fan, by the sports fan” video blog, “JRSportBrief,” has grown organically on YouTube. But it will expand its presence when it unveils a distribution deal with Vox Media/SB Nation later this week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The agreement includes marketing support on Vox/SB Nation and YouTube; distribution and marketing of “JRSportBrief” content to SB Nation’s 300-plus sports blogs, Twitter, Facebook, and other social media channels; as well as website development and other production support. In addition, the deal includes a 50/50 ad sales revenue split across all existing and future platforms.

Roberts, who is trying to build out a network with fashion and business v-log extensions, will be a panel speaker at the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show.

Squires, Von Stade team up.
Photo by: COURTESY OF ACCELERATED GROWTH PARTNERS
> COMINGS & GOINGS: Merrill Squires and John Von Stade, who combine for nearly 50 years of sports marketing and media experience, are putting out their own shingle for sports and non-sports-related clients, called Accelerated Growth Partners. The company opens with offices in Stamford, Conn., and Manhattan.

The first and primary client for what Squires is describing as a “business accelerator, growing brands, business and investments,” is USA Today Sports Media Group, where Squires was senior vice president, head of sports marketing and partnerships, and Von Stade was vice president, properties and partnerships.

The pair will continue to work on league business, sports marketing partnerships, product and property development, but will expand their role with USAT to also include entertainment, travel and money. Squires said the new firm will focus on analytics, and has brought in Steve Raymond, former USAT vice president of multimedia analytics, to help with that effort. Accelerated Growth Partners hopes to launch a fund within a year and take equity positions with various clients. Other charter clients include Sport 195, Danger TV, Kimbia crowdfunding and Runa Tea. Squires said Accelerated Growth Partners is looking for opportunities within youth sports, endurance/active lifestyle, hunting/fishing/conservation and emerging sports. … Chris Marciani joins the PGA Tour’s New York City office as vice president, business development. He was vice president of national sales at MLB since August 2011. Marciani also served in sales roles with Michael Waltrip Racing, NASCAR’s New York. office, the Charlotte Bobcats, and the Arena Football League. … Freeman Miller, director of media relations within the corporate/financial practice at Burson-Marsteller’s New York City offices, is retiring this month after nearly 36 years with the firm.

Terry Lefton can be reached at tlefton@sportsbusinessjournal.com.

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