HMMMM-Another NON Traditional Sponsor Leaves (1 Viewer)

[BJN]

So, is it really a sponsorship issue or are these companies pulling out because of the inability to co-market market with the folks at the NHRA?
There are always two sides to every story........Jagermeister......Brut.......Miller.........
Three VERY big sponsors who could of brought alot of clout to help the NHRA bring in NEW non traditional sponsors and to show corporate America this is the place to be, leave. Budgets? The NHRA is best value for the money, where else are they gonna go for the dollars spent and have almost a year of advertising. Companies drop HUGE dollars in print ads, check out the Wall St Journal or Rolling Stones magazine full page ad rates for a MONTH.
I for one, as i know there are others here who do the same, are finding it really hard to keep justifying why these companies are leaving. Ive had discussions today with a company asking why these non traditional companies are leaving. How do you combat NHRA's "supposed" prized catagory Top Fuel going as long as it did with Fuller THE POINTS leader not having a sponsor? How do you answer these questions to corporate America?
Now that said, that is in no way a dig on Fuller or David Powers Motorsports because they obviously have what it takes to win and bring in a powerful new sponsor.
The NHRA after all these years is still the hidden diamond in the rough, but the guys that are out here trying to bring more to their series need alittle more help too.

 

["Dr. Dirt"]

If it is true that the NHRA as a sanctioning body are stuck in the mud maybe we'll see if HD Partners have a winch stable & powerful enough to dredge it from the mire and bring it up to high ground. On one hand one could say that they have survived this long but on the other hand some might imply that you couldn't do worse-so bring on the changes?
Either way, it's going to be interesting to see if HD can present a better exposure package to the viewing public worthy of major sponsorship? (or just flip the whole thing to Bruton Smith once the purchase is complete and see what a business man could do?)

 

[d'kid]

If it is true that the NHRA as a sanctioning body are stuck in the mud maybe we'll see if HD Partners have a winch stable & powerful enough to dredge it from the mire and bring it up to high ground. On one hand one could say that they have survived this long but on the other hand some might imply that you couldn't do worse-so bring on the changes?
Either way, it's going to be interesting to see if HD can present a better exposure package to the viewing public worthy of major sponsorship? (or just flip the whole thing to Bruton Smith once the purchase is complete and see what a business man could do?)

Okay, it's time to ask the hard question. As far as the Pro Cars go, is the NHRA a sanctioning body, or are They Promoters that write their own Rules...

If they are a Sanctioning Body, They need to get out of the Promoting Business, Hopefully HD is the answer to this...

"HOT ROD: Raymond Beadle, your organization's current Winston World Champion, says he spent between $400,000 and $500,000 on his Funny Car operation last season. Several other top NHRA professionals went through a quarter-million dollars or more. Why haven't NHRA purse awards kept pace with such expenses?

"I think for a sport that was created -- and is still maintained -- as a place to go out and do something that you like to do, anybody who puts that kind of money into it and expects to get it back out is crazy. We've always felt that way.

"There's no way we can put a leash on how much money an individual can spend on his car, of course. In the last few years, it appears as if some of the racers are having a big contest to see who can spend the most money and come up with the most pretentious rig and equipment. We have increased purses probably on a scale of 10 percent a year, and we never pretended that the purses were going to be a source of professional, ensured income.

"I've always felt that the thing was way out of reason costwise, as far as participants were concerned. I've never been able to understand how so many can continue to come back, knowing that the rewards are as limited as they are. Yet I do know that most of them will sacrifice almost anything to remain part of it, so everything just keeps on going.

"In the very beginning, there wasn't a lot of expensive equipment to buy. Most had to improvise or manufacture their parts and equipment, and they could afford to go out and run every weekend. They weren't breaking a lot of parts, and they weren't paying a lot for them in the first place. But you look at the cost of just nitromethane alone today [$18 per gallon] and parts replacement -- without considering the cost of lodging, food, travel, maintaining a crew and all that -- and it's startling."

Interview Of Wally Parks with Hot Rod Mag, Feb. 1981

I'm updating my blog in a couple of days, and I will quote chapter and verse from "State of the Union" interviews over the last 30 years or so... Hopefully by next Sunday

d'kid

 

[stanman]

Okay, it's time to ask the hard question. As far as the Pro Cars go, is the NHRA a sanctioning body, or are They Promoters that write their own Rules...

If they are a Sanctioning Body, They need to get out of the Promoting Business, ...

I stated nearly 4 years ago that NHRA was no longer a sanctioning body but rather a motorsports entertainment promoter. And I've stood firm on that contention!

The actions and decisions NHRA has made over the last few years bears this out... especially where the Sportsman racers are concerned.

And if you look at the management of NHRA and the changes it has gone through the last few years you'd see a drastic departure from an organization run by racers for racer to one of corporate bean-counter & marketing types with no racing background who are more worried about the bottom line than the well-being of the sport.

I'm hopeful, but not confident, that the HD deal will alleviate NHRA from the burden of management the motorsports entertainment side and return the organization itself back into a sanctioning body.

 

[afx421]

HD partners have thier work cut out for them! the big and small sponsors leaving are most likely leaving because of poor coverage of thier brands- or how i like to put it- THE COUNTDOWN. lets face it if your brand isnt in the top 8 forget about any coverage after indy. its very sad.

 

[.]

I hate to say it, but I don't know if drag racing fans en-masse, purchase the sponosors' products.
I was thinking about the BRUT situation last night.

I am not sure if fans returned
$___(fill in amount of BRUT sponsorship money here)___ to BRUT, by way of purchases.

I was only able to buy(use) 3 bottles over the year @ $10.00 each.
I bought a few other BRUT products, maybe $40.00 worth for the year.

 

[Just Paul]

It's been this way for a long time. We get some new ones, and some go away.

This year alone we gained--

Monster
Rockstar
Alphatrade
CAT
MTS
DHL

 

[Nunz]

Paul, you are right. However, NHRA has still been missing the boat for some time. The floodgates for non-automotive sponsors has never really opened, it's always a onesey-twosey scenario. One would think by now there would be a Cheerios car, a Tide car, etc. Bob Vandergriff brought in UPS, why hasn't FedEx followed? DHL is here, but you know it's because of Connie's biz. The sky may not be falling, but things could be a lot better. Bill Nychay is in the trenches trying to put these deals together, ask him how hard it is. I'm sure Jay Rathman could give some input as well.

 

[HEMI6point1]

I guess that Brut got what they wanted (ROI), and moved on. Similar to Warner in Clay's car, they got their ROI and moved on.

 

[BJN]

Nunz, while I'd love to tell it like it is, this isnt the place.....We'll talk soon.

You bring up good points, what happened to " keeping up with Jones's"?
Where is FedEx? The rest are here, do they feel they dont need to compete in this arena? Red Bull? The own the market, maybe they feel the money isnt warranted. LIQUOR companies, i thought for sure we'd open the flood gates with bringing in the first distilled brand into the NHRA......nope.
Listen the TV is what it is, ESPN overall does a good job with the NHRA, no complaints EVER from companies or sponsors on that end for me, for others it may be different. For this sport to grow it needs to come from DIFFERENT demos, different audiences, different NON AUTOMOTIVE companies and that is it pure and simple. The auto industry has been hit up from every angle by every team, every year. All they do is swap teams (Matco).
The mold needs to change, or it gets stale, very stale.
I can bring alot of horses to the trough, but i can't make (all) them drink.

 

[Jim]

I guess that Brut got what they wanted (ROI), and moved on. Similar to Warner in Clay's car, they got their ROI and moved on.

Well, I HOPE they did.

A few years ago, there was a wonderful story (I believe, in one of the Bix Mags) about the immediate and measureable impact of Drakair Noir's association with Dale Earnhardt Jr. - AMAZING NUMBERS.

I would hope and think that Brut got a comparable ROI but we've never seen the numbers. My PERCEPTION was that BRUT was a moribund brand and Capps and the coordinated comittment by Helene of Troy brought the brand back to life.

I hope all parties felt they enjoyed a good ROI.

Maybe Don can jump in here?

 

[TJ]

It is not the NHRA's responsibility to bring in funding for the participants race cars...They provide the playing field and reward winners/runner-ups with compensation...The pay outs are the highest they have ever been in all of their history....From an insiders point of view they have never been stronger...

 

[Jim]

It is not the NHRA's responsibility to bring in funding for the participants race cars...They provide the playing field and reward winners/runner-ups with compensation...


The pay outs are the highest they have ever been in all of their history....From an insiders point of view they have never been stronger...

I'll agree with the first statement but there are many who will argue with the second assertion. Total purses are still pretty puny against almost every other pro sport.

 

[TJ]

We are talking about the NHRA...Cannot compare apples to oranges...Nascar puts on hours of live coverage w/ hundreds of laps when a drag racer sits in a car and wrestles the steering wheel for 4.8 seconds...
Kind of like comparing a brain/heart/spine surgeon to a surgeon who specializes in cosmetic dentistry...

 

[Jim]

We are talking about the NHRA...Cannot compare apples to oranges...Nascar puts on hours of live coverage w/ hundreds of laps when a drag racer sits in a car and wrestles the steering wheel for 4.8 seconds...
Kind of like comparing a brain/heart/spine surgeon to a surgeon who specializes in cosmetic dentistry...

Actually, I was thinking about Golf.

 

[BJN]

Never said NHRA is responsible for bringing the dough........the question is whether they are proactive in working with the sponsors to maximize their involvement or are they out for their own greed. I have my thought.
No question that they provide the playing field, but for the short dollar or the long? Without sponsored racers, the NHRA has no players. There are only so many wealthy indy racers, and with increases across the board it seems clear to me where their attention is. Now they have every right to charge or increase where they see fit, its their non profit biz right?
By the way what did Tony win for the championship? And how much did it cost to get that?

 

[davey]

"I think for a sport that was created -- and is still maintained -- as a place to go out and do something that you like to do, anybody who puts that kind of money into it and expects to get it back out is crazy. We've always felt that way.

"There's no way we can put a leash on how much money an individual can spend on his car, of course. In the last few years, it appears as if some of the racers are having a big contest to see who can spend the most money and come up with the most pretentious rig and equipment. We have increased purses probably on a scale of 10 percent a year, and we never pretended that the purses were going to be a source of professional, ensured income.

Interview Of Wally Parks with Hot Rod Mag, Feb. 1981[/I]



d'kid[/QUOTE]


Do you mean to say that 'ole Wally never intended for the racers to make any money? Say it ain't so!!!!

 

[Toejam]

I think NHRA's biggest problem is the TV ratings are Poor at best! How do you sell a corporation on a motorsport that garners cable ratings in the 1.0 Ratings share level? Bill, you or Max must have done something right to bring Jagermeister on in the first place. I can't remember the last time a major Non-Automotive sponsor hooked up with a Pro stock team. Everyone knows the Fuel cars generate most of the Drag racing ink, I bet a lot of Fuel teams wonder how Max landed Jagermeister...

I know a lot of folks get tired of the term ROI, but I bet these sponsors felt they weren't getting the return they expected! You think Castrol would still be around if John Force hadn't won all those Trophy's? I seriously doubt it.

 

[TJ]

The NHRA will ALWAYS have players in the blown alcohol/fuel classes as those car owners love drag racing...Some would fund the operation on their own (like most already do) and others would seek out sponsor support..The NHRA has no obligation to be proactive or to even interact w/ anyones support group...
The fuel/alcohol classes will always be top shelf has those individuals that participate are 'selfish freaks' who are addicted to their hobby...Too which I am grateful...
If someone wants to spend $$$$$$$$, that is their business and they should quit whining...And w/ blown alcohol/fuel you should never ask the cost of doing business...
Blown alcohol/fuel as always been a rich man's hobby from the very beginning.

 

[BJN]

thanks Joe, we do things alittle differently over here as you can see from our pit. Jager was right on all levels and all activation programs, problem was, after we got the race fans drinking it, they wanted to down grade their monetary involvement but wanted everything image wise to stay the same. Well anyone who knows Max, knew that wasnt gonna fly. They are now going into rodeo...cowboys drinking Jager? I dont think so, trying to get the Jack Daniels market.
Heres my quote, LOL
"If your sponsor is solid, it doesnt matter what class in the NHRA they go to"

I believe we've proven that point.
(I'm now partial to Pro Stock)