Brickyard 400 coverage ?

Dutch Dawg

Well-Known Member
While the TV was on for the entire race, I was out of the house more than in. Were there any UPS commercials? All told I watched perhaps an hour of the coverage (last 20 laps included). I enjoy watching ESPN for a lot of events, NASCAR just isn't one of them, I don't care for their coverage. Anyways I didn't see any UPS commercials and was wondering if the company is starting to back away from the sport.
 

wkmac

Well-Known Member
While the TV was on for the entire race, I was out of the house more than in. Were there any UPS commercials? All told I watched perhaps an hour of the coverage (last 20 laps included). I enjoy watching ESPN for a lot of events, NASCAR just isn't one of them, I don't care for their coverage. Anyways I didn't see any UPS commercials and was wondering if the company is starting to back away from the sport.

Dawg,
I watched some of the race and I saw no UPS commercials.

As for ESPN coverage, having been a fan of the sport since the early 60's, yeah I've seen Richard Petty and Junior Johnson run a "Cup" race on dirt, ESPN was always one of the best at coverage and yesterday IMO they proved that tradition again. Dr. Jerry Punch who I like and respect isn't Bob Jenkins but it beats the H3LL out of the Goober and Gomer show and "Boogity, Boogity, Boogity!"

When Fox is on, the sound is down and it's like the old days before TV with me listening to Barney Hall or Doug Rice on MRN/PRN respectively. Watch Dale Jr's Back in the Day and when I was a kid that was our NASCAR TV fix or ABC's Wide World of Sports and it was a 1 to 2 week delay after the race. LOL!

As for UPS backing away from the sport, I felt from day one that they weren't here for the longhaul. The corp. automotive manager (a roundy round racer himself)who was the spearpoint back 7 plus years ago to get this started has long since retired and I'm not sure there is the same backing now as there was then.

Dale is likely done after next year and I think UPS will withdraw from the sport. I think they stuck with Dale not because to win races but rather their whole ad campaign was designed around the "Dale Drive the Truck" idea. Had they gone to another driver, the Dale/Truck thing was so embedded in the public mind, any driver change into that formula and it would fall on deaf ears.

The only thing to make me think UPS might stay contary to my beliefs from day one is the entry into the sport of FedEx. Once we get pass the 100th UPS birthday then events may change and with it my mind but for now I do believe that 2008' is UPS' last year in the sport.

What about NHRA drag racing and Bob Vandergriff? Good question but he went to the final round yesterday and although he lost, his car is consistant and getting down the track and that is what you need to earn points and get better to where you will win that first race. I'm really liking what I see coming from these guys.

jmo
 

JustTired

free at last.......
Whether they stay or go, I don't think UPS has the commitment it takes to be a major sponsor. In order to capture an audience, you have to be committed to spending big (and I mean big) bucks. Not saying that they haven't spent a wad of money, but compared to other sponsors, it's a drop in the bucket.

Mistake #1 is when they followed Dale to MWR. They should have stuck with the 88 for no other reason than knowing they were in the race weekly. Exposure is everything. Of course this could have been offset by a better ad campaign (ala Michael and Napa) to overcome the lack of race exposure. But, there again, I don't think UPS is committed to the expenditure this would have entailed. Arguably, Michael Waltrip is a better spokesperson for his sponsors than he is a racer.

Mistake #2 is (and I don't believe this is happening) not going all out to become Jrs. new sponsor. Whoever lands this one will have all the bragging rights. Dollar for dollar, money well spent. All you have to do is watch the "crazy, mutant, desert guys" ad to see that (while expensive, I'm sure) it has staying power and is one most people will remember for a long while. UPS commercials, while funny, get tiresome after a couple of views.

I'm guessing UPSs' lack of full blown commitment lies somewhere in the lap of the IE department. Trying to get more for less seems to be the "mantra" these days.

It's time do do what it takes or get out as far as I'm concerned.JMO
 

wkmac

Well-Known Member
Just Tired,

Jr. is still not out of the equation (I hear National Guard is pushing hard) but the larger question for UPS is whether his presence as their face in NASCAR will impact to the plus for UPS' bottomline. Dale Jarrett, for better or worse, made UPS a type of household name with the "Drive the Truck" deal. Sure everyone to a certain extent knew the Big Brown Truck but Dale make it an icon. Dale's qualities made him a natural because across the board of NASCAR fans, Dale is liked and trusted by about everyone. Those same qualities also come across to non-NASCAR fans as well and they trusted Dale.

Could Jr. do this? Oh sure, he's great in market appeal but how far. The beer he represents is already a national icon so just how hard does he have to work? Don't get me wrong as I like Jr. but his sister Kelley IMO is a marketing genius (ironically she has a degree in sports marketing if I'm correct) and she's put Jr. in the right place to capitialize on the situation.

I'm not poo-pooing your point, I think it has merit but racing today is not just about winning the race. It's about how much exposure you get for your money and how much you are willing to pay for it. We think what drives racing is a bunch of engineers, crew chiefs and drivers testing, working and setting up the cars but that's not it. Walk just a little further down the hall to the large conference room behind closed doors and there you'll find the marketing specialists and PR people (racing's IE dept. LOL)studying the latest demographics reports and the viewership numbers from the recent broadcasts and that is the driving force behind racing and I think I can prove it.

Let's take a young Jr. Johnson with his same background and bring him forward to 2007'. Now it's a fact the guy can drive the wheels off a stock car but with his past and NC mountain drawl, do you honestly think for one minute he'd get a shot especially with the bigger teams? Not only no but H3LL NO! He has limited market appeal. As great as Jr. Johnson is, they only drag him out from time to time in order to hype the moonshining, hillybilly past of racing just for the sake of hype. And he tells a good, entertaining story too so in that respect it works. I grew up in NC in Jr's era and went to tons of races so I love seeing Jr. (the real one:wink:

Besides, if UPS wants a winner, then just get Tony Stewart. Love em' or hate em' he's the best pure driving talent out there but it would never happen IMO.

Right now UPS is probably getting it's exposure dollars worth with Vandergriff but ESPN and drag racing doesn't pull in the same demographic numbers as NASCAR does.

I do think you are right that UPS is not a serious longterm player in NASCAR or even drag racing but then I don't know how FedEx's presence will change that either. Good post from you regardless of my opinion.
 

JustTired

free at last.......
Wkmac

I agree that you don't have to be in the winners circle to get the exposure. But you do have to be on the track.

Even with JR at Hendricks, I don't think he will be in the winners circle every week. But he will be on the track. And while I think the "race the truck" theme is getting a little tired, there are plenty of other directions they could take. There's more of a chance that there could be a real rivalry on the track between JR and Hamlin as opposed to Jarrett.

Don't get me wrong. I like Jarrett. But I think his "day" is over. I don't think Stewart or the Bush bros. would be a good fit at all. Personally, I'm a Kenseth fan, and while I believe he wouldn't be the worst representative UPS could get, I do believe that JR would be the best choice for any sponsor that was lucky enough to land him.

Like I said before, Waltrip is probably the best PR driver there is. And I'm sure a lot of companies would like to find some one with his dedication to sponsorship to represent them. But like Jarrett, he's no JR or Gordon on the track.

Nascar has become big business. And like everything else, that's not a good thing for the sport. Corporate America will decide the direction this sport takes, now. And that, in my opinion, will ruin it in the long run. JMO
 
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