Warc, 30 April 2014
NEW YORK: An extensive research program has helped NASCAR,
the largest sanctioning body for stock-car racing in the US, engage a new
generation of fans in the wake of the financial crisis.
The economic downturn that swept much of the globe in
2008/09 hit NASCAR doubly hard according to Kim Brink, its vp/marketing, as
working class fans cut back on going to races and some sponsors pulled out.
Up until that point, Brink told delegates at the Advertising
Research Foundation's 2014 Re:Think conference, the organisation hadn't placed
much emphasis on research. But faced with declining race attendances, it was
forced to take action.
"Our leadership team undertook what was – without
question – the most comprehensive research study ever done by a sports
league," she said.
"We talked to our core fans. We talked to casual and
lapsed fans. And we talked to potential new fans that we wanted to invite into
the sport." (For more, including how NASCAR tapped into Hispanic culture,
read Warc's exclusive report: NASCAR's recession pit stop recharges branding
program.)
Having identified the drama and unpredictability of races as
a big attraction, the next step was to find ways to sell that to a new
generation of racegoers.
Brink referred to the sport's previous self-recruiting model
in showing why this was important: "If you had a father and uncle who was
into the sport, then you likely would be. That's not happening anymore."
One of the things NASCAR had to do was "get much more
aggressive … in the digital space, with fantasy [sports], and with mobile
apps." These tools helped foster engagement with a new audience of
millennials.
At the same time, NASCAR developed "at-track
connectivity" to keep those younger racegoers interested when they went to
events. That is what millennials "expect", said Brink, and it was
something all sports leagues were having to deal with.
The rejuvenation efforts, to date, "have galvanized our
industry," she said. "People are excited about it. We're being much
more aggressive in our marketing, which they like."
Data sourced from Warc
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