ESPN is gearing up for what is scheduled to be its next to last season of broadcasting NASCAR races with a multimedia campaign, “12 Drivers. 1 Champion.,” that will encompass TV, print, radio, mobile, digital and a social media program under the hashtag #Fandorsements.

ESPN said this is the first time it has worked with NASCAR to launch a joint marketing campaign.

The effort will cover the final 10 races of the 2013 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup event, during which 12 drivers compile points (based on where they finish in each race) to crown the season-ending champion. Nine of the races are on ESPN, with the other on sibling ABC.

ABC had been a NASCAR broadcast partner from the early 1960s through 1981. ESPN then took over telecasts through 2002, and then again in 2007 via a deal that currently is scheduled to expire after the 2014 season.

NASCAR recently signed a deal under which NBC would take over the ESPN portion of the racing season beginning in 2015.

NASCAR also extended its broadcast deal with Fox, to begin in 2015, which would encompass its own broadcast schedule as well as races that have been aired by Turner Sports. Industry analysts have said that both ESPN and Turner might try to end their deals with NASCAR a year early.

“With this campaign, we want to create as much buzz and momentum going into the 10 races – if you’re a fan, you feel what it means to be a part of it,” Emeka Ofodile, senior director of consumer marketing at ESPN, said in a statement. “The Chase is big – it’s the playoffs – our goal is to make it feel that way.”

ESPN unveiled the campaign’s anchor TV spot, “Generations,” on Labor Day. It shows current NASCAR star Jimmie Johnson walking down Pit Row past previous driving icons including Cale Yarborough, Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt Sr. Three more TV spots will support the effort.

#Fandorsements was described as a social photo contest “that allows fans to ‘endorse’ their favorite Chase driver by submitting an original picture of their drivers’ number through Instagram or Twitter.” Each week during the Chase, a new winner will be selected and will have their social media handle appear above their favorite Chase driver’s passenger window in that week’s race.

Brief Take: ESPN and NASCAR’s joint marketing campaign has resulted in a spot, “Generations,” that makes the 10-race Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup look downright legendary, highlighting the elevated stakes and significance of the Chase and the opportunity it gives drivers to build a legacy.

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