Denver is buzzing about a $200 million racetrack complex that has reportedly received the green flag. The location is ideal - 10 minutes east of Denver International Airport off of I-70.
However, if developers expect a Sprint Cup Race, they’ll have to get in line. And they do expect it. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be 65,000 – 100,000 seats in the plan.
We’re excited about the prospect of elevating the motorsports scene in Denver. Hopefully this announcement spurs action after many failed attempts to build a racetrack.
The key to success is partnership. The developers must align with ISC (Int’l Speedway Corp.) in order to secure a Sprint Cup date. Additionally, local attractions such as Bandimere Speedway and the National Western Stock Show Complex could relocate and upgrade their facilities.
These partnerships need to be solidified in advance of any groundbreaking. It’s a tough task, but it is possible. It’s the only way this venture will be successful.
The real question is why haven’t more Colorado companies taken advantage of NASCAR? With its 10-month schedule that criss-crosses the country, and rabid fan base, NASCAR is ideal for companies that want to increase awareness and expand nationally. And Colorado has a long track record of successful start-ups!
NASCAR is incredibly accommodating to budgets big and small. The common myth is that it requires $15 million to play. In reality, the cost of entry is considerably lower than any of the major sports leagues. Effective use of sponsorship assets is what allows success at a variety of investment levels.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Pennzoil Victory Challenge
Is it possible for sponsors to stand out from the NASCAR clutter without breaking the bank? Yes – with some creativity and little help from your friends.
For Pennzoil, SD partnered with SPEED Channel and Lowe’s Motor Speedway to create an entertaining, proprietary event before the All-Star Race. In addition to reaching fans attending the race, the Pennzoil Victory Challenge was televised LIVE by SPEED. This takes motorsports marketing to the next level.
The concept: Seven top NASCAR drivers are invited to showcase their best victory celebration skills (smoking tires, donuts, etc.) with the winner receiving $10,000 for their charity.
NBA has the Slam Dunk Contest. MLB has the Home Run Derby. And now NASCAR has the Burnout Challenge.
For Pennzoil, SD partnered with SPEED Channel and Lowe’s Motor Speedway to create an entertaining, proprietary event before the All-Star Race. In addition to reaching fans attending the race, the Pennzoil Victory Challenge was televised LIVE by SPEED. This takes motorsports marketing to the next level.
The concept: Seven top NASCAR drivers are invited to showcase their best victory celebration skills (smoking tires, donuts, etc.) with the winner receiving $10,000 for their charity.
NBA has the Slam Dunk Contest. MLB has the Home Run Derby. And now NASCAR has the Burnout Challenge.
An added dimension - the cars are “two-seaters” allowing for a Ride-A-Long participant with each driver. This gives Pennzoil an opportunity for customer recognition, media engagement and direct fan involvement through an experience that can not be bought.
The 2009 participants:
Greg Biffle: Shell U.S. CEO Marvin Odum
Clint Bowyer: ESPN’s Lead NASCAR Reporter Marty Smith
Kyle Busch: CNBC’s Sports Business Reporter Darren Rovell
Jeff Gordon: Jeff Gordon Foundation Participant
Kevin Harvick: Pennzoil “Ride Shotgun” Sweepstakes Winner Jeanie Matthews
Kasey Kahne: Lowe's Lucky Fan-in-the-Stands Danny Rodgers
Darrell Waltrip: Marci Gratizanna from SPEED TV Show “Wrecked”
SD added a new dimension to the 2009 event – leverage the celebrities already onsite to form a panel of judges. They included (left to right) SPEED's own Jimmy Spencer, NASCAR spokesperson and actor Kevin Costner, Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry of the award-winning country music group - Montgomery Gentry, NFL All-Pro wide receiver and NASCAR Truck Series owner Randy Moss plus 16-time World Wrestling Champion Ric Flair.
The event exceeded expectations for ROI and impressions. SD designed it to bring value to all partners (Pennzoil, SPEED and Lowe’s Motor Speedway) which allowed us to collectively tap each other’s resources to create an event that allowed Pennzoil to rise above the sponsor clutter.
This pulled together many different aspects of sponsorship activation, including public relations, branding, entertainment, promotion and media engagement. So how can you effectively implement something similar for your business? Well, this is certainly a sweet spot for SD, but I will explore various avenues of this in future posts that you can learn from.
This pulled together many different aspects of sponsorship activation, including public relations, branding, entertainment, promotion and media engagement. So how can you effectively implement something similar for your business? Well, this is certainly a sweet spot for SD, but I will explore various avenues of this in future posts that you can learn from.
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