Morton Buildings to sponsor Burton:
Morton Buildings announced thier sponsorship of NASCAR drivers Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton. Morton Buildings will sponsor Kevin Harvick in both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series, primary sponsor for two Nationwide races. at Indianapolis in July and Kansas at October. Morton Buildings will sponsor Jeff Burton in the Sprint Cup Series (no word which races).(Morton Buildings)(2-11-2014)
NASCAR evaluates sponsorship:
NASCAR has transformed its research and insights capabilities, giving the racing-car circuit's commercial partners - like Coca-Cola - a deeper insight into return on investment than ever before. Sean Doherty, NASCAR director/digital and social-media engagement, told an American Marketing Association (AMA) webcast audience: "The Coca-Cola Co. came to us and wanted a brand analysis for each of their drivers. They wanted share for each driver; how each one engaged with fans; and the size of their social footprint. They wanted to be able to activate their brand against a track, a race, or off site as well." Stepping up to that challenge, said Doherty, "We had to transition from a PR department to a fully-integrated marketing communications model. We took a deep dive into the industry's position relative to digital and social media. We researched the way that fans experienced our events. And we looked at the way people consumed other sports and entertainment properties. We searched for growth markets to attract new fans to the sport. And we also took a critical look at our current portfolio of drivers." NASCAR found a partner to give it the tools required to make this transition, as information technology group Hewlett-Packer designed and created the Fan and Media Engagement Center. This research facility features 13 screens of 46 inches in size, as well as three work stations and the analytical tools NASCAR needs to help race-car teams, tracks, sponsors, broadcast partners process more data faster. The facility provided Coca-Cola with the insight it needed, as well as securing engagement from a group of other Fortune 100 companies, including Sprint, Goodyear Tires, MillerCoors and ExxonMobil.(Warc)(2-11-2014)
NASCAR Now Returns for Start of NASCAR Season:
ESPN2's NASCAR news and information program NASCAR Now returns as the 2014 NASCAR season begins at Daytona International Speedway. The season's first episode will air Tuesday, Feb. 11, at 2:00am with host Mike Massaro. A three-hour edition will air Thursday, Feb. 13, at 12:00noon on ESPNEWS with news and driver interviews from NASCAR Media Day in Daytona. Massaro and analyst Ricky Craven will be in the studio with reporter Nicole Briscoe on-site.(ESPN)(2-10-2014)