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Many factors can bring value from your sponsorship program back to your business. There are also a handful of elements your team needs to look out for that can slow down your progress. One of the most under-the-radar factors that will sink a campaign before it even gets off the ground is a lack of internal communication.

This is especially critical during times of uncertainty or when outside factors are influencing the overall marketplace. When things are not normal, it does not mean there aren't opportunities - they just may look different.

Topics: Sponsorship ROI, Motorsports Marketing

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The $6 billion world of motorsports marketing is a challenging, rich and intensely exciting realm to operate in. Some of the largest brands in the world have built their presence from simple grassroots programs to dynamic, multi-series dynasties. From the outside looking in, they make it look easy. But for marketing managers, executives, and those interested in working with motorsports sponsorship programs to market their business it can quickly become overwhelming without the right know-how and support in your corner.

This post is part of Foundations - a series of always-updated content to bookmark to guide your journey through sports marketing and sponsorship.

Topics: Motorsports Marketing, Foundations

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With so much information readily available online to consult about sponsorship strategy, brands sometimes ask us "Why do we need to hire an agency?" They wonder why they cannot just go to a property looking for sponsors and deal with them directly without representation or rather hire internally to manage everything.

Both are viable options in the short term and in some cases may feel more cost-efficient. Our experience has shown that over a longer term and with more sophisticated operations, you may want to consider an activation agency to help you excel in what is an increasingly unique environment.

Inc. Magazine has done a feature going into more detail about how this relationship works. To expand, we will look into 6 specific ways an agency can provide immediate value to your sports business program.

Topics: Motorsports Marketing

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One of the greatest periods in motorsports is the final weekend in May. The United States celebrates Memorial Day and three of the world’s largest series all compete throughout the weekend across Monaco (F1), Indianapolis (INDYCAR) and Charlotte (NASCAR). Corresponding with all of the racing action are generally a host of announcements from organizations looking to fully leverage the weekend’s platform.

Topics: Motorsports Marketing

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"These" brands may refer to any of your competitors, vendors you buy from, or brands you look up to. A group of brands with something in common.

For us, it refers to the other brands that have also chosen to invest in a particular driver, series, venue or team with you. If your brand sponsors a property, who else is there with you?

What brands do you share space with?

Topics: Motorsports Marketing

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The last few years have introduced some remarkable companies into the world of sponsorship. Shifting audience demographics, especially from F1, has encouraged brands young and established to get back into the race with a variety of partnerships. 

The established brands are looking for a way to build relationships with the new audience while the startup brands are looking to gain trust by association. Ford's re-entry into F1 showcases this beautifully, and we love their promotional launch video linked below. It shows how much more these relationships are than plain sports sponsorships.

Topics: Motorsports Marketing

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We read a great article from our favorite marketer, Seth Godin.

It was all about the decisions you tend to make only once (maybe twice) and how you automatically have an experience disadvantage when you make these decisions.

Wildly, these decisions all happen to be quite significant. He mentions planning a wedding, raising money from venture capitalists and applying to college as examples of things you will likely do only once or twice in your life.

Topics: Motorsports Marketing

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One of the top questions we field from our clients relates to appealing to a younger demographic. It isn't just us, as the shift for many years has been about attracting millennials and keeping them engaged and it has become a top priority for marketing teams as they continue to set goals.

We are seeing companies make dramatic changes in effort to serve a new set of consumer behaviors made possible by higher connection, new technologies and faster pace. It seems the way forward is composed of two opposite approaches: improved digital work and unique experiences all presented in an authentic way.

Topics: Motorsports Marketing

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Sponsorship can be an integrated alternative to traditional media marketing and a platform where consumers are receptive to hearing your message. The data points to how motorsports, and also emerging sports, score much higher than the average messaging engagement figures captured by SportsBusiness Journal in their annual online survey.

Recent growth for motorsports across mainstream media and audiences has also been a boon for new sponsorship programs. Add-on value like Netflix's Drive to Survive and Race show how the on-track product can be enhanced through thoughtful storytelling in a different venue.

Topics: Sports Business, Motorsports Marketing

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In motorsports, the drop of the green flag means go...and go fast. All of that action on the track is compelling for entertainment purposes but what everyone does not see is the action that happens off-track among sponsors and strategic B2B relationships. While sponsorships can cost brands millions of dollars to access the platform, a lot of that "cost" is considered an investment for business development and growth.

Topics: Motorsports Marketing

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