Thinking outside of the box

Today I've been presented with a very interesting marketing idea. Sponsorship. OK, I heard the collective eye roll out there. Sponsorship isn't a new idea, you say. I agree. But have you ever REALLY thought about sponsorship on one of those REALLY cool Indy cars? My client's son, Matthew Inge (the next big name in motor sports!) is on his way up to Indy racing. Apparently there are several levels, but unlike most sports, colleges don't give scholarships for racing. As a result, racers must finance their own events or rely on sponsors. I know, none of this is new yet. However, what I found fascinating is that race fans are loyal sponsor consumers. Why? Because they know the only way their favorite driver is out on the track is because of sponsors. I also was given a lesson in cross promoting, using sponsorships to build your own personal network, and actually profiting from a sponsorship that you are paying for- in real dollars.

For example, a grocery store may sponsor a driver, then as part of a value-added promotion (say Memorial Day weekend advertising) the ketchup, mustard and hotdog suppliers are given an opportunity for end cap advertising, posters, and you guessed it, a logo on the race car. The suppliers pay for this value of course and if the grocery store sells enough of these value packages, they will actually bring in more money than they paid for the sponsorship in the first place. It's a win -win-win situation.

Racecar sponsorship is not for everybody. It's best if you can commit some money to a long term relationship. As with any kind of advertising, consistent communication is the most effective means of driving (pun completely intended) your message home.

The audience delivered by a sponsored car is pretty impressive too. 70% of all race fans are wealthy middle-aged men. Hmm. There's some buying power there - I'm not sure why Tide sales skyrocketed after Ricky Rudd took the wheel behind the great big orange car, but apparently men bought a bunch of Tide after that happened. There is much more to come on this topic I think. In the meantime, anyone have a client looking for some pretty awesome exposure over the next few months? I've got a driver for you.