Nationwide Activate NASCAR Sponsorship

At Bristol last weekend, Nationwide, together with Nationwide Series team owner Kevin Harvick, launched its Switch and Save up to $500 campaign, with the grand prize an “Ultimate NASCAR Experience.”

“One of the things that Nationwide wanted to do when we came into the sport was to look for ways to engage the fan and to make this series as interesting or more interesting than it was in the past,” Aman said. “This is a way for the fan to engage in the Nationwide Series and also to get a much better price for their insurance.”

Fans can call (877) NW-SERIES (877-697-3743) and request a quote on their car insurance, as well as register for the grand prize drawing. By making the switch to Nationwide, fans can also save up to $500 on their car insurance. Fans can also visit www.nationwide.com/switch and do the same.

“This sweepstakes offers race fans the opportunity to be trackside at Las Vegas, in a fully loaded Camping World RV and spend some time with Kevin during the weekend,” Aman said.

“To come in and see all the activation that has been done, I’m proud to be part of the new campaign,” Harvick said. “It’s going to be a lot of fun to mingle with the winners at Las Vegas.”

For Aman, this first significant foray into activating Nationwide’s sponsorship entitlement has gone well.

“Nationwide is very pleased,” he said. “The coverage that Nationwide and the series has been receiving has been excellent. Our media partners have done a great job changing the name of the series to Nationwide and helping us say a little bit about why Nationwide got into the sport. Overall, we’re very excited about where we are right now.”

Aman said that Nationwide has run sweepstakes surrounding its sponsorship of the Nationwide golf tour, but this is the first for NASCAR. As such, response to this promotion will go a long way toward determining what kind of support the company has among NASCAR fans.

“This year, having this level of sponsorship, we’re feeling our way through to see what kind of response we can get with a three-month promotion, using a highly visible, well-respected driver as part of our effort,” Aman said. “We’re looking for 50,000 to 100,000 people to enroll in the sweepstakes and a number of them deciding that we should be their insurance provider.”

Aman said that there had been some surprises in his company’s first year of series sponsorship, but none that were really big.

“Having dealt with Speedway Motorsports for the past eight years, there weren’t really any surprises,” he said. “What has been a surprise is, I think, the interest of the team owners and team members wanting to get to know us, learning what Nationwide was about and letting us know about the sport they love and what they want to see changed in that sport.”

Harvick echoed Aman’s comments.

“When they came in, everything had kind of happened last-minute, and they were very anxious to get everything activated and get their name out there,” he said. “As we’ve gone on, the whole Nationwide team has been very active, asked a lot of questions of the teams about what we thought of the sport, working with NASCAR and where the series is going and what the series is all about. Once they got their feet on the ground, they’ve been very involved with the teams going forward.”

Microsoft's 'Free' NASCAR Sponsorship

Leave it to the geeks at Microsoft to figure out how to get the company's logo on a racing car--for free.

The Redmond, Wash.-based software giant snagged a $1 million market-value spot on a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car without paying a penny. Instead, Microsoft got small businesses that use its software and resellers to pony up the sponsorship cash. So far, 40 small businesses and resellers have put in about $165,000 on behalf of Microsoft.

Since the June 1 race in Dover, Del., Microsoft's small business logo has been emblazoned on the rear-quarter panel of Michael Waltrip Racing team's #00 car. The businesses and resellers that put up the cash, however, don't get to place their logos on the car. Under their agreement with Microsoft, they are allowed to put their logos on a mock-up of the #00 car, and they can post that image on their Web site.


Retail giant Target, a longtime sponsor for the Chip Ganassi Racing team, has been known to offset its sponsorship costs by offering vendors a piece of the action: They might get a NASCAR-themed display in Target stores or even have their logo prominently featured on a car for a single race.

But the Microsoft-Waltrip arrangement is unique in that the team is banking on the tech giant’s ability to corral customers who’ll foot the bill for the spot. "I think it speaks to the economic climate that these teams are dealing with," says Ardy Arani of The Championship Group, an Atlanta sports marketing company. "Desperate times call for desperate measures."

Less than a decade ago, primary sponsors (the ones that get their logo on the hood of the race car) routinely paid teams under eight figures. Today, those sponsors might be asked to fork over as much as $20 million. As a result, some sponsors are balking, forcing teams to get creative with their sponsorship schemes. "What might’ve made sense at $8 to $12 million becomes a difficult equation at $16 to $20 million, because you aren’t necessarily selling more product just because the racing has gotten more expensive,” Arani says.

The Waltrip team will need at least another 200 sponsors to break even on the space's $1 million market value.

From Forbes

Camping World to Sponsor GIR NASCAR Craftsman Trucks

Gateway International Raceway announced today that Camping World has entered into a multi-year agreement with the facility that includes title sponsorship of this year's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at GIR. The Camping World 200 presented by Honda Power Equipment is scheduled for Sept. 6.

Camping World is a sponsor at several levels in NASCAR, including the NASCAR Camping World East and West Series, as well as the title sponsor of several races at different tracks across the country and several drivers, including the defending NCTS champion and Kevin Harvick Inc. driver, Ron Hornaday.

"The sponsorship of the Camping World 200 presented by Honda Power Equipment complements our growing involvement in NASCAR Racing," said Marcus Lemonis, Chairman and CEO of Camping World. "We know thousands of our customers from the St. Louis area fill the stands for this weekend each year and we are pleased to support their passion for racing.

"This sponsorship program will assist us in introducing our brand to the outdoor enthusiasts in the area which is important to us as our future plans include opening a permanent Camping World store in close proximity to the Raceway," added Lemonis.

It was at Gateway last year when Ron Hornaday took the points lead that would eventually lead him to his record-tying third NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series title and give Harvick, a two-time GIR winner in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, his first championship as an owner.

"It's hard to find a race on the NASCAR schedule where you don't see the familiar blue and yellow Camping World logo," GIR Vice President and General Manager Lenny Batycki said. "We're honored to be a part of the Camping World family and honored to be affiliated with one of the most renowned racers in NASCAR, Ron Hornaday."

Digest - Nascar, Premier League, LG and the NEC

NASCAR

Office Depot to Sponsor Stewart.

The two-time Cup champion Tony Stewart, has reached an agreement that would make Office Depot a primary sponsor on his car if he finalizes a deal with Haas CNC Racing. Office Depot will be the primary sponsor for a potential NASCAR team part-owned by driver Tony Stewart, above. An announcement could be made as early as the weekend of the July 27 race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. More...

US Army will continue to sponsor Earnhardt.
Dale Earnhardt, Inc. President Max Siegel expects to retain the U.S. Army sponsorship for his team's No. 8 Chevrolets next season. More...

Chevrolet reduces NASCAR sponsorship.
A US newspaper has reported that Chevrolet will reduce its sponsorship in NASCAR stock racing. The American Charlotte Observer newspaper says that the manufacturer is looking to reduce its sponsorship of race events, pace car deals and trackside advertising and is not planning to renew any track sponsorship that expire at the end of this season or in the future. More...


UK Football

Thomas Cook renew with Manchester City.
Thomas Cook has announced that it will extend its shirt sponsorship agreement with the Manchester City Football Club. This will mark the sixth season the travel operator has sponsored the Manchester City club. Thomas Cook’s chief executive officer, Manny Fontenla-Novoa, said: “We are delighted to continue our relationship with Manchester City as it builds on our position as one of the UK's best known brands. More...

OTHER

LG to Sponsor Birmingham Arena.
LG has announced an eight-year sponsorship deal with Birmingham’s NEC Arena that will see the venue renamed as 'LG Arena’. As part of the deal, the manufacturer will contribute to a £28M revamp of the site. New hospitality suites, bars, restaurants and improved backstage areas will all be installed, and the re-brand is expected to be active from autumn.

LG said that the agreement will allow it to engage with an additional one million consumers per year as it bids to increase its brand visibility.

According to UK marketing director, Andrew Warner, the deal shows the shift in the manufacturer’s focus from being a product-driven organisation to a marketing-driven one. He said: ‘Consumer alignment to a brand is no longer simply about preference for that brand’s products. It’s about how the brand makes a consumer feel. More...