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Lowe's Will Feature Its Kobalt Brand On Jimmie
Johnson's No. 48 Car More Often Next Season |
Lowe's is "going in for more promotion" of its in-house Kobalt line of tools through sponsorship of Hendrick Motorsports' No. 48 Sprint Cup car driven by Jimmie Johnson, according to Erik Spanberg of SCENEDAILY.com. Lowe's in recent years "has put Kobalt on the car at times and also featured the tool brand on Johnson's firesuit." Kobalt this season was the primary sponsor of the No. 48 car "for eight of 36 races." The partnership began in '09, "grew this past season and will increase again in 2011." Lowe's Senior VP/Marketing & Advertising Tom Lamb said of the sponsorship, "It fits right into the strength of NASCAR in terms of delivering a huge number of brand mentions. And we're a brand that needs growing awareness (for Kobalt). The brand mentions we get from the team as well as the race sponsorships have really put Kobalt on the map." Lowe's current contract with Hendrick Motorsports and Johnson runs through '13, and Lamb said, "The big thing we've been able to do over the run of the championships is evolve our program to a more intimate place." Spanberg noted Lowe's "has spent more time doing exclusive programs with top customers -- and prospective clients." The "most obvious example" is the Jimmie Jam series, which is comprised of "private concerts at smaller theaters and venues with name-brand musical acts performing, as well as appearances by Johnson to mingle with Lowe's executives, clients and prospects." Meanwhile, Lamb "acknowledges concern over attendance and TV audience declines" for NASCAR, but he "remains confident about the sport's future." Lamb: "There are some question marks in the sport. The Chase this year created a huge amount of excitement and I'm optimistic we'll see that in ratings increases next year. The fact that there's a much broader set of owners that are competitive -- those are good signs for the sport going forward" (SCENEDAILY.com, 12/9).
