SportsBusiness Journal

December 11, 2006

Bud wins exposure game

Despite sponsoring the winning entry in the Chase for the Nextel Cup, Lowe's finished second to Budweiser, which sponsors Dale Earnhardt Jr., in exposure during the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup season, according to measurements conducted by Joyce Julius. The exposure values noted below were calculated by comparing the clear, in-focus time and mentions received by each brand to the non-discounted cost of a commercial during each respective telecast. Also included for comparative purposes are the percentages of team vs. non-team-related sponsor exposure, with the latter being elements such as leaderboard graphics, signage or event sponsorship.

Rk Sponsor Driver Non-team related expousre Team Related Non-team related
1 Budweiser Dale Earnhardt Jr.* $183.1 million 68.8% 31.2%
2 Lowe's Jimmie Johnson* $143.6 million 90.2% 9.8%
3 Cingular Wireless Jeff Burton* $116.6 million 71.8% 28.2%
4 Home Depot Tony Stewart $98.6 million 78.4% 21.6%
5 DuPont Jeff Gordon* $88.9 million 100.0% 0.0%
6 Miller Lite Kurt Busch $71.1 million 84.7% 15.3%
7 NAPA Auto Parts Michael Waltrip $68.6 million 35.2% 64.8%
8 DLP Tony Raines $67.6 million 37.4% 62.6%
9 DeWalt Tools Matt Kenseth* $64.4 million 100.0% 0.0%
10 Subway Greg Biffle $63.3 million 52.7% 47.3%