MOORESVILLE, NC :: By now, you’ve seen at least one of them, if not one hundred. Drivers and teams trying like hell to get you to vote for their Champion Spark Plugs Search For a Champion video. There’s a reason this contest is becoming a yearly thing, and that’s because it works. It gets responses from fans, it gets responses from consumers, and it achieves Champion’s marketing goals.
But just because something works, does that mean it’s the best thing?
Before I state my positions, I want the fine folks at Champion to know that what they are doing is, in my opinion, great for short track and grassroots-level racing of all kinds. People get involved, communities get involved, and it allows competitors to share part of who they are with the world and exposes millions of fans to the different types of racing that exist. That’s awesome. And it lets Champion expose their products to those same voters and competitors. Ultimately, that’s what it’s all about, and it isn’t overbearing or obnoxious. Bravo, Champion, you have a great social marketing team you need to keep for years to come.
But contests like this, while they offer great opportunity for the racers who win them, are also one of the worst things for short track racing — but that’s not the fault of the contest sponsors. It’s the fault of the racers and their feeling of entitlement that they “deserve help” or that someone should help them simply because they race and need more money than their budget can afford because they’re the next Jimmie Johnson; the “I’m a poor, broke racer with untapped talent” mentality.
Yeah, I went there.
Sorry, racers, you’re dead wrong. Racing sponsorships are not a handout, not a donation, and not just spare money that people part ways with because they can. If that was the case, I’m pretty sure they’d rather spend it on a ski trip to Colorado or a vacation in Miami. That’s assuming you don’t make a real pity case out of yourself, in which case, do you really wanna be thought of as “that guy?” That pretty much puts you in the same category as drug addicts trying to feed their starving children… or so they tell you. Such esteemed company, right?
I didn’t think so. Besides, we’re better than that. Our addiction is legal, albeit just as expensive! (It’s a joke, laugh.)
Sponsorship and marketing in racing is not about what you get from company A or company B. It’s about what type of relationship you build and what you exchange of value between the two of you. Yes, you’re expected to give them something of value, and “putting their logo on the hood” is not an exchange of value. That ship has sailed. If I go to Walmart and they ask me for $275.27, I expect to receive something of value in return such as clothing, electronics, food or otherwise. Guess what, more people exchange large sums of money in Walmart as opposed to the spare change they donate “to feel good” in the Salvation Army can outside.
Why? Because they got something in exchange for it that truly mattered to them, and because of that they felt it was a good investment. They got something concrete besides “feeling good” or “helping someone out.” Something they needed. Something they wanted. Something they were sold on buying because they couldn’t live without it at that moment. Do you really think Lowe’s spends upwards of $30 million on the No. 48 only to “feel good” or “win races?” If you do, you’re on crack. No, they get a concrete return on the investment that they were looking for. And because it meets the goal every time, they continue to renew. Pretty simple concept, right?
Sponsorship isn’t an easy game. No secret there. Selling it and making it happen might be the hard part, but the thoughts behind it are relatively easy. And if you have the right thought process behind it, it’s an easier sell than usual. All things are relative, of course.
Back to these contests. Why are they bad for the mentality of racers? Because all of these racers seem to believe that if they get enough votes and enough people to rally behind them, then all of a sudden they’ll get a huge windfall of cash to go race on. And while that’s partially true, did they read the fine print?
The fine print says the voting is only PART of the contest. The other parts involve other aspects of being marketable to the contest sponsor. So while the votes may get you into being a finalist, the other aspects of your marketing game need to also be in top gear to have a very realistic shot. It’s not just who can make the most noise and get the most pennies collected in the jar like the drug addict trying to get her next hit, errr…feed her kids.
Yes, some of those entered have exceptional marketing efforts away from the contests. It doesn’t hurt to enter these contests, and I do not fault anyone for trying. After all, if you aren’t in it, you can’t win it. Make the most of every opportunity you’re given. This is one of them. But being a good driver isn’t, in itself, good marketing.
But how do you do that – stepping up your marketing game? It’s not easy. It takes hard work. Just as getting to the front on any given Saturday night takes long hours in the shop and lots of tedious work that causes the average person to ask “why?,” it does the same on the sponsor front. And no different than the racecar, if you know the tricks and the tips to make yourself marketable, it makes it that much easier to use your time efficiently. Begging for money “just because” is time well wasted. Proposing partnerships and investments that benefit both parties involved, that’s time well spent. Which one does your sponsor search more closely resemble? Before you answer that, telling someone “I’ll put your logo/name on my car” is not a benefit. Just saying.
So go ahead and keep bombarding us on Facebook and Twitter with your contest video voting reminders. We’ll all find our favorites and vote. There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s fun to watch the entries and the contest sponsors are getting their money’s worth in so many ways. And some lucky racers are about to receive the break of their careers. But for the sake of your own success, don’t stop there.
Carl Edwards didn’t stop. Daniel Hemric didn’t. Jordan Anderson didn’t. All three excel at both sides of the sport – driving and business. And look where it’s taking them.
Want to be like them? Consider this.
While the Charlotte Racers Expo is taking place this weekend, hundreds if not thousands of racers and teams will descend upon Charlotte’s Metrolina Tradeshow Expo. They’ll buy parts. They’ll sell parts. They’ll go home with a vehicle full of tools and pieces to put together into a racecar that can win races. But how many of them are spending their own money to do it as opposed to budgeting a sponsor’s marketing dollars?
If you want to find out how to have your own pool of sponsor money, make plans to attend the Charlotte Racers Expo sponsorship seminar. It’s hosted by yours truly on Saturday night at 6pm at the Comfort Suites Northlake. In two hours, we’ll cover all the basics on how to change your sponsorship search and make sure you’re aiming for the right goals in the right way. Learn how easy it really is to get press coverage and the extra notoriety that prospective (and current) sponsors love. All the basic tips and tricks packed into a 2 hour session are bound to leave you excited about your 2014 season.
To register for the sponsorship seminar, visit the link at CharlotteRacersExpo.com or simply click here to be taken to the seminar page.
Most of our readers know Tony Stevens as the voice of the UARA-STARS tour and a mainstay at local tracks for quite a while. He’s produced the RACE22 Radio Show in the past and his resume includes work with XSAN.tv, Charlotte Motor Speedway and the Motor Racing Network. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author and do not reflect any of the organizations with which he works. Be aware, this is a very casually-written piece, using some extreme examples to drive home solid points.
