It is no secret that all of the major sports entities have taken steps to brace for less revenue with the current economic situation, yet there remains the knowledge that many brands have made a long term solid investment in sports and entertainment to reach audience, share stories and move product. Perhaps no sport was a better example of economic growth in the past ten years in the United States than NASCAR. However as the visibility, the size of the tracks, the amount of dollars spent and committed rose, so did responsibilty, and the reality is that the mega-spend by fans and brands may not be there in the vast numbers it has been. Make no mistake no mistake that NASCAR is not leaving the American culture, it is making an adjustment to stay viable and “keep racing.” With that adjustment comes the push to stay positive and relevant in the mainstream, and NASCAR has the benefit of a well -oiled brand machine that is now really starting to spin again to tell positive stories going into Daytona. Some examples were relayed in a recent piece on NYSportsJournalism.com,, which layed out all the activation brands will be doing going into the 2009 season, from Kraft to Mars and Gatorade and beyond. Now will the spends be as big, of course not, but when people are looking to cut back on a spend they will look to see not necessarily was the biggest, they will look to see what is the most effective, and for many brands that remains NASCAR, now perhaps at a more effective price point than before, but effective nonetheless.
Some other good reads…for those interested in PR, the Eye Cube blog recently had a good list of things to look out for in molding a career…some good do's and don’t for a checklist…the D.C. Examiner has a good list of all the ways National Signing Day is being covered by the media…Rick Reilly had a great piece on Larry Fitzgerald Sr. and what it was like covering his son in the Super Bowl…and Tim Layden on si.com has another solid profile on VMI twins Tavis and Chavis Holmes and how they have resurrected the hoops program at the school.
