NASCAR at the Halfway Point
Struggling Economy Has Varying Effects on Sponsorship Exposure
The
news is both pretty good and not so good in terms of measurable
sponsorship exposure at the midway point of the 2009 NASCAR seasons.
Overall, the on-screen time and mentions amassed by sponsors in the
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series are up in comparison to last season, while
overall exposure value rose at a much slower pace as a direct result of
lower advertising rates charged by the networks.
Meanwhile,
sponsorship exposure in the NASCAR Nationwide Series is down in most
categories as expected, while findings from the NASCAR Camping World Truck
Series are on par with 2008 figures.
“We
are noticing that some sponsors
have scaled back or rearranged their sponsorship
packages,” said Joyce Julius Television Research Manager, Katacia
Tramble. “In
previous years, we may
have had one or two cars that made the race unsponsored. This year,
we could have three or four per race. And although most of those cars are
competing in a ‘start and park’ way, the cars at the front have
maintained their exposure level and have in fact, received more exposure
than last year.”
Overall,
the first half of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series saw brands enjoy some 413
hours of combined on-screen time and 6,700 verbal mentions during event
coverage, up significantly from marks of 385 hours and 6,200 verbal
mentions tabulated a year ago.
Several
factors have contributed to increased exposure levels in the series, with
the most notable being tremendous logo visibility of the frontrunners, a
rain-caused marathon race in Charlotte and a little network TLC thrown at
some of the upstart sponsors.
Tramble
points to the first half success of the new Stewart-Haas team, with
sponsors Office Depot, Old Spice, Burger King and U.S. Army in the fold, making a splash in several
races. Likewise,
Carl Edwards and Aflac, with “one of the most visible hood logos on the
track with its black and white scheme” is another major contributor to
the overall statistical improvement.
“Ask.com
also came onboard this year and they had a great run on Fox with their
trivia questions and sponsorship of Bobby Labonte’s car,” Tramble
said. “As
a completely new sponsor this year they alone are responsible for one
hour, 47 minutes, 42 seconds (1:47:42) of exposure time and 304 mentions.
That is a great return for a new sponsor in the series.”
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Rain-delays,
while no fun for drivers or fans alike, are not necessarily frowned upon
by sponsors. It
is a simple fact, longer telecasts (albeit not all viewed equally) do
provide a tremendous forum for sponsors to grab TV time not normally
available during typical coverage.
For
example, during the Fox Coca-Cola 600 rain delay coverage this past
Memorial Day weekend, the 26 brands monitored on David Reutimann’s driver
suit appeared for a combined 3:50:23.
Similarly, 18 sponsors on Michael Waltrip’s uniform collected
44:30.
One
ironic twist in the first half of the Sprint Cup season was the
reoccurring storyline of the lack of team sponsorship, which in many cases
led to unexpected television exposure for some.
“Since
there are more cars running without sponsors, the cars who are usually
unsponsored are receiving extra attention from the announcers when
sponsorship is acquired,” Tramble said.
“In fact, the announcers actually made note to the fact that all
cars were sponsored for the Coke 600. They even zeroed the cameras
in on the #36 of Scott Riggs to talk about his sponsors for that race,
Shea Trucking and Cooter’s Backyard Bar and Grill.”
The
situation has not been as favorable in the Nationwide Series thus far in
2009. Team
sponsor television exposure is down from a year ago.
Symptomatic of a lack of committed sponsorship, total brands
appearing on Nationwide Series hoods is down 25%, while overall on-screen
time from this potent exposure source has fallen 8%.
Couple the lowered team sponsor results with a decreased activation
by the auto manufacturers—both Chevrolet and Dodge exposure figures are
down—and the cumulative negative effect is significant.
As
racing’s renegotiating season gets underway, no doubt the up and down
results of the first half, brought on by the worst US economy in
generations, will continue to have a major effect on sponsorship of the
sport.
“Looking
at 2010, it will be interesting to see how many sponsor changes occur.
DeWalt has already announced that they will not be returning to
Kenseth’s car next year, thus ending a successful 10-year run with
Roush. The top sponsor charts may look very different next year.”
Lesnar's Strange UFC Brew
Brock Lesnar’s rant and subsequent apology for his disparaging comments regarding UFC corporate sponsor Bud Light earlier this month at UFC 100 led to his beverage of choice, Coors Light, picking up $250,000 of unexpected media exposure value.
Lesnar,
in a post fight rage, told the sellout crowd at Mandalay Bay Events Center
“I’m going home tonight and drink a Coors Light.
That’s a Coors Light because Bud Light won’t pay me nothing.”
Lesnar later rescinded his comments
at the insistence of UFC President Dana White, but the media buzz was
already in full swing.
In
addition to Lesnar’s two mentions of Coors Light during the live
Pay-Per-View broadcast, highlights of the meltdown were covered on
SportsCenter and various ESPN programming the remainder of the weekend.
Print and Internet media also chronicled the beer brand war, as more than 400 news articles referenced Coors Light and Lesnar. Social media also gravitated to the topic with some 1,300 blogs addressing the topic, highlighted by Dallas Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban’s posting, where he wrote: “Lesnar’s post fight speech probably was the best ever in all of sports.”
A Little Rain Must Fall
Last June’s rain-soaked U.S. Open at Bethpage was a challenge for players, fans and networks alike. Rounds and days overlapped each other all weekend before Lucas Glover finally wrapped up the championship at 1:21 pm Monday afternoon with a three-foot putt for victory.
One
silver lining, from a sponsorship standpoint, of extended rain coverage is
the added opportunity for corporate logos to make an appearance on
television. Look no farther than the umbrella used by Tiger
Woods--fashionably adorned with a brand new AT&T logo--as an example
of Mother Nature’s marketing contribution.
During
NBC’s marathon coverage on Sunday, the Woods AT&T umbrella was
monitored for one minute, 33 seconds.
When compared to the cost of a commercial during the telecast,
AT&T garnered an exposure value of $231,725.
Not bad bonus exposure for another rainy day on the course...
NHL Playoff Games Serve as
Testing Ground for Virtual Signs
In-broadcast virtual signs made their National Hockey League debut this past spring, and while only used on a very limited basis, the results were noteworthy. With sponsors averaging nearly 20 minutes of quality on-screen time per game from the high-tech broadcast enhancement, no doubt we have not seen the last of the virtual signs.
Optimally
positioned and occupying more screen space than the traditional hockey
board sign, these virtual hockey signs (located on the glass areas behind
the goals and at center 
ice)
literally dominate the telecast from the home viewer’s perspective.
Joyce
Julius & Associates monitored MSG Network’s Game Three telecast of
the April NHL Playoff series between the New York Rangers and Washington
Capitals, broadcast from New York’s Madison Square Garden.
During that telecast, superimposed Subway logos, located on the
glass areas behind each goal and at center ice, appeared clear and
in-focus for five minutes, 37 seconds (5:37) during the third period only.
Two nights later during Game Four, the Subway logos again enjoyed
virtual placement during the third period, and were monitored for 7:16.
When
comparing the in-broadcast exposure to the estimated cost of a commercial
during each respective telecast, and applying Joyce Julius Recognition
Grading (RG)—which takes into account such factors as size and placement
of the image on screen, as well as brand clutter—the Subway virtual
signage garnered a two-game, two-period exposure value of $71,500.
Not
only do the superimposed logos behind each goal garner a tremendous amount
of on-screen time during game action, but the favorable size and screen
position of the logos also enhance the Recognition Grade of the television
exposure compared to traditional board signs.
While the typical permanent branded sign occupies 0.8% of the
screen, the larger virtual signs, located on the glass above the board
signs, generally filled 2.2% of the screen.
MSG Network first tested the virtual ads at the end of the regular season with the Subway logo, and then added logos for New York Life and Cablevision for the playoff games. The virtual signage technology was supplied by Princeton Video Image, which also has provided real-time video insertion to Major League Baseball and the National Football League.
Subway:
MSG
Network
April 20, 2009
(3rd Period)
Location
Exposure Time
RG Value
Behind
Goals (Glass)
4:56
$27,380
Center
Ice (Glass)
0:41
3,790
Period Total: 5:37 $31,170
Subway:
MSG Network
April 22, 2009
(3rd Period)
Location
Exposure Time
RG Value
Behind
Goals (Glass)
4:25
$24,510
Center Ice (Glass) 2:51 15,815
Period Total: 7:16 $40,325
Motorsports Sponsorship
It
couldn’t have come at a better time... CITI, the primary sponsor
on Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s NASCAR Nationwide Series entry, has
collected more on-screen time than any other team sponsor through the
first 16 event telecasts of 2009.
All told, the Roush Fenway Racing corporate partner
collected a Series high 4:16:06 of on-camera time.
The exposure time, coupled with a dozen verbal mentions of the
financial institution, calculates to an exposure value of nearly $12.6
million.
During
Versus' Indy 500 qualifying coverage and ABC’s telecast
of the Indianapolis 500, the sponsoring brands associated with winner
Helio Castroneves combined for nearly $14.9 million of exposure value.
Altogether, the 20 Castroneves-sponsoring brands and the Team
Penske name appeared on-screen for a combined 2:01:56, and were
mentioned a total of 16 times in association with the Indy champion.
Traxxas,
a maker of radio-controlled hobby vehicles, is enjoying significant
national television exposure this year thanks to its title sponsorship of
The Off Road Championship (TORC).
During ABC’s one-hour telecast of the Perris, CA, event in June,
Traxxas amassed nearly $900,000 of comparable exposure value from 28:13 of
in-broadcast exposure time and nine verbal references.
Question:
Whose hood sponsor has been seen the most during the first 11 NASCAR
Camping World Truck Series event telecasts?
Answer:
The Kyle Busch/Brian Ickler
hood containing a Miccosukee Resort logo has been monitored for
49:11 ($800,015).
The Con-way Freight logo on Colin Braun’s hood was second
with 41:56 ($617,645).
Unique
sponsorship tie-in alert:
The ARCA RE/MAX race at Michigan this past June was title
sponsored by Racing for Wildlife – a joint venture between the Ryan
Newman Foundation and The Conservation Fund – for the
purposes of raising funds to save a historic youth camp in Michigan.
Throughout Speed Channel’s live and replayed coverage of the
event, Racing for Wildlife received 16:50 of on-screen time and 40
mentions, leading to a comparable value total of $223,150 and a much
increased awareness of the program.
The
top five auto manufacturers, in terms of in-broadcast exposure value,
through the first five events of the 2009 Grand Am Rolex Sports Car
Series were Porsche ($1 million), Pontiac ($575,000), Mazda
($574,000), Ford ($560,000) and Lexus ($500,000).
Bowl Game In-Broadcast Analyses Features
Online Access to Joyce Julius Findings
Access all in-broadcast exposure findings for the 2009-10 college bowl game season with a single online Joyce Julius subscription. Along with digital access to each issue of our traditional, four-page Sponsors Report, subscribers have 24/7 access to the industry’s most detailed and customizable television exposure findings. Whether looking for a quick game exposure total, a deep-dive source analysis, or a complete brand detailing across multiple games, Joyce Julius’ user-friendly system is the best source of exposure findings available.
See
every source of exposure
View top-line or detailed results
Adjust the ad rate calculations
Save findings to your desktop
Archived Sponsors Report issues
No additional software required
To learn more about our College Bowl Game Packages, please contact our Joyce Julius Sales Representatives:
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Laura
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Second Look is a newsletter published by Joyce Julius & Associates,
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