Q: As we all know, IndyCar does very little marketing/advertising of the series to the general public other than the occasional TV commercial on NBC. If the argument is that the series is practically focused solely on B2B, why even do that? (I guess that’s an NBC thing?)
Perhaps that is precisely why there is little advertising and promotion. There aren’t even promotional ads within a former series and current car sponsor Verizon’s company, as a friend of mine who works in the Verizon headquarters (and has been a Verizon employee for over 20 years) has continued to tell me he sees nothing internally promoting the car, Will Power (“Is that really his name?” I was asked) or the series and didn’t even when they were the series sponsor. You would think Verizon would be proud of being the sponsor to one of the best drivers in IndyCar and tell even their own employees about it, but apparently not. Not even when Power won the 500. Bueller? Bueller?
How about this simple strategy: Some time ago there was a weak marketing effort about the series having the best drivers in the world. Though that is arguable by some or many, let’s go with it (again). Hype up the season (and past champion Palou) by saying the series and the championship is to crown the best driver in the world (because of ovals, streets, and road courses on which they compete to determine the title), and beat it into the viewing public with social media ads, a few relevant influencers, and in upcoming race commercials.
At worst it will get online debates aplenty; at best it will get more of the IndyCar-clueless public trying to see “who the hell are these guys and why are they hyped to be the best drivers in the world?” Geez, IndyCar, throw us some kind of bone to help get the word out — the aging IndyCar diehard fan demographic is dying out and needs some help spreading the word before it’s too late. What says you?
Randy Mizelle, Oak Island, NC
MP: Not sure where the Verizon-didn’t-do-commercials angle comes from, but they did, because I saw them when they aired, along with millions of other people. Do we wish that continued in the latter years? Of course!
The “best and most diverse drivers” promotional angle has also been used, plenty of times, in CART, Champ Car, and the modern-day IndyCar Series. I know you and I grew up at a time where a great TV commercial could make a difference, but I just don’t know if that’s a thing that still works like it once did, with the younger demographic IndyCar is chasing.
Q: Last night, as I was watching Team #144 of the Maize & Blue as they ROLLED the TIDE on their way to the championship game, a random thought popped into my head: “I wonder how many people know that Jim Harbaugh was once co-owner of a multi-championship winning IndyCar team?”
So, I Googled it, and very little came up that was recent. It would be smart for IndyCar to embrace this link (and others as they arise) when their star is shining and eyeballs are on them. Put something out there congratulating him (and the team) on the recent wins, along with footage of him jumping over the wall changing tires back in the ’90s! IndyCar should exploit this to their advantage considering U of M has arguably the largest fan base and alumni of any school. IndyCar competes with all other sports for eyeballs. Embracing and engaging your competitors on their turf should not be feared, exposing the sport to potential new fans.
Further thoughts on this subject led me to the sports-media wunderkind whose “Thunderdome” sits kitty-corner to IMS (via I-465)! The one and only Pat McAfee! People either love or hate him, but his numbers don’t lie and he has created a juggernaut based right in Indy and his reach has no bounds. He is an admitted fan, has sponsored Conor Daly in the race, and drove the pace car for one of the Indy GPs, so he’s obviously a fan. Why not exploit that?
There is nobody else in sports media who has a daily three-hour show on constant replay on a major network. He has amassed a huge following, and IndyCar needs to hop on his coattail in any way possible, as even if he only spends five minutes of his three-hour show talking about IndyCar/interviewing drivers, it is guaranteed to bring new eyeballs. If IndyCar is not pursuing it already, then they need to hire me to drive that initiative.
Steven Bushouse
MP Two excellent points, Steven. While I’ve been aware of McAfee since his NFL days, I’m new to him as a sports show host and do, on occasion, enjoy some segments on ESPN. And that part, with ABC/ESPN, might be an issue with IndyCar tied directly to its rival at NBC. Can’t deny that the exact audience McAfee speaks to is of the age that IndyCar needs most to start following its series.
Q: As I digest all of the concerning comments about IndyCar, I am wondering if there is any good mental energy at 16th and Georgetown being spent on some out-of-the-box marketing, or are they all in a defensive mode fending off threats relating to suppliers and broadcasters?
One never sees a good advertisement with IndyCars or their drivers anymore. I recall the Texaco ad with Mario and A.J. where they kind of rib each other, and the Valvoline ad with Little Al ribbing Mark Martin and Joe Amato.
I also am ominously reminded of the Honda/FedEx ad with Gil de Ferran. Those were great. Guys like Mario and A.J. are still with us. Why can’t someone create a funny ad with those two? Maybe partner them with a couple of IndyCar drivers like Alex Palou or Josef Newgarden. Make it comical, something that would go viral on YouTube or TikTok.
Look at Palou, a two-time champion that hardly anyone outside of the series itself knows about. Criminal! And Josef, possibly the best oval racing driver since Rick Mears, and again, not even close to a household name.
Look what State Farm has done with Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid. I know this isn’t the NFL but it’s something to think about. How about getting Chip and Scott in a funny ad? Look what the NFL did with John Madden.
I’m a fan of all motorsports but I’m still mad that IndyCar let NASCAR beat them to the punch in staging a street race in Chicago. My two cents.
James
MP: Next time I speak to IndyCar, I’ll ask if they have anything in the works, or an ad agency to help create such things.