NASCAR is big
business, with a huge fan base. Corporate sponsors spend on average
between $15-20 million annually to paint their logo on the race cars.
The problem with this is that the cars zip around the speedway at 200
mph and may be difficult for their logos to be seen, especially on
television.
Paul Ostasiewski,
a marketing professor at Wheeling Jesuit University in Wheeling, WV
said, “A 200 mph billboard seems like a contradiction, yet that’s an
important part of what NASCAR sells. A car’s paint scheme has to be
designed so a major sponsor’s name can be easily read, particularly on
television where it’s usually seen for a few seconds before cameras cut
away to show another car. Television is where the greatest exposure is.
It’s also where the biggest problems are.”
Not all race
cars are painted as good as others. He said that while the
Interstate Batteries car has a bright green and distinct color
scheme, you can’t read the logo on TV as it races by the cameras.
An example of a logo sponsorship that is optimized is the Budweiser
car of Dale Earnhardt, Jr. The car is unique yet you can read the
logo while on television.
Teams should
do better
marketing for the sponsors by making their logo look better on
television. The driver and pit crew also should be part of the
marketing aspect of the sponsors. Ostasiewski also believes there is a
wide range on how well teams uniforms tie in with their sponsors. He
said that Home Depot team of Tony Stewart does a great job of tying in
the uniforms with the corporate sponsor.
“The Home
Depot car has a bright orange and black paint scheme. The car’s
graphics are also unique and easy to read. The orange carries
through to the driver Tony Stewart’s uniform and that of the crew,
all of which shows well on television. The scheme was so distinctive
that when Tony Stewart graced the cover of Sports Illustrated, the
background color of the photograph matched Stewart’s uniform. It was
very effective.”
He recommends that
all of the NASCAR cars could have better placement of the logo. Instead
of putting the logo on the top of the hood it would be better to place
the logo closer to the front of the car because the television camera
would be able to capture the logo better.
Ostasiewski also
recommends that the small sponsors should get better representation.
NASCAR wants these logos displayed behind the front wheel, which are
difficult to see. He suggests placing the logos in a straight line
across the rocker panel area.
Ostasiewski
said, “Cars should be distinctive, but not necessarily unusual. They
car should reflect the sponsors’ identity and image. Graphics should
be easy to read on television as well as from the grandstands. The
total package of car and team is also a plus.”
Ostasiewski lists
which cars have the best representation for major sponsor compared to
the others:
Car #20 Home Depot
Driver: Tony Stewart.
Car #17 DeWalt Tools Driver: Matt Kenseth.
Car #8 Budweiser Driver: Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
Car #32 Tide Driver: Travis Kvapil.
Car #2 Miller Lite Beer Driver: Kurt Busch
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