NHRA pressuring Budweiser??? (3 Viewers)

[clwill]

Think you all need to realize that most sponsorship decisions are made by just one person (maybe at most a couple of people). There's an exec at every company with control over the ad dollars. That one person, usually with little or no input from many others (maybe some underling influence, maybe some review/critique from above) controls where the dollars go. If they really want to spend it on one thing over another, they can. (The problem with Bud is that this person's $$ have been completely removed -- moved to Europe.)

If you're NHRA or a team looking for sponsorship, your job isn't to convince the Anheiser Busch Corporation, or Caterpillar Inc, or Ford Motor Company, it's to convince this one person. So you play whatever cards you have that will make this person feel a) guilty, b) loved, c) happy, d) smart, e) "in", f) frugal, g) like a king, h) all of the above.

 

[sdwarf36]

So you play whatever cards you have that will make this person feel a) guilty, b) loved, c) happy, d) smart, e) "in", f) frugal, g) like a king, h) all of the above.

I) hookers
j) blackmail (see "I")


I see it more as a send off - like Warrens "school out" tour. Can't remember for sure but i bet they were all over it when he was "retiring" while running Atlanta.

 

[Johnny Mopar]

I don't think it is as much a nudge to Budweiser (that.s a lost cause with In-Bev) but rather an attempt to highlight the wonderful relationship KB had with this sponsor and to encourage other quality sponsors to consider joining the party - not just for KB but LOTS of teams.

100% correct. I'm in the business of marketing and advertising (Radio & TV stations) and I can assure you that once a marketing partner has decided to leave, there's no amount of pressure that would pursuade them to change their minds. If anything, it would anger the company. With InBev's focus on making every decision based on profitability, there's zero chance they have any interest in drag racing. There's just not enough marketing value to justify the investment. Traditional stick & ball sports that reach millions of people on a weekly, if not daily basis, are far better values...as is NASCAR.

With regards to Budweiser, it's totally different now. This is a classic example of what happens when a family owned business sells out to a publicly traded out of country corporation.

 

[Bullard Anderson]

Here's another Bud thought, the team is performing much better this season than in years past. 3rd in points!!!! So you see more of them. Which is also a pro arguement for the countdown. Even if you're not in the Countdown when it happens later this season, just go rounds and they can't deny you on the tube!

 

[FEDowner]

Here's a quiz:

1) Where was the race last weekend?

2) Where has the headquarters for Bud been the last million years?

Is that your final answer.

RG

Can I phone a friend?
I drink MGD

 

[Demon]

With regards to Budweiser, it's totally different now. This is a classic example of what happens when a family owned business sells out to a publicly traded out of country corporation.

Was is not the shareholders that approved and decided to sell out to InBev??
I'm sure I remember A.Busch saying he didn't want to see that happen.

 

[clwill]

Was is not the shareholders that approved and decided to sell out to InBev??
I'm sure I remember A.Busch saying he didn't want to see that happen.

Right, the family had less than 20%, and A. Busch III and IV together had less than 2%. It was hardly "a family business".

 

[Z28LT1]

They DO care about ping pong, though.......... <-------linky

I hope Brandon can swing a ping pong paddle.

 

[megadeth]

Here's a quiz:

1) Where was the race last weekend?

2) Where has the headquarters for Bud been the last million years?

Is that your final answer.

RG

But from now on the headquarters are located in Europe!

 

[Johnny Mopar]

Was is not the shareholders that approved and decided to sell out to InBev??
I'm sure I remember A.Busch saying he didn't want to see that happen.

You're correct Chris. The Busch family only owned 3% of the company stock, but did control the decisions of the company, giving them literally total control over the marketing of the company. It was shocking to realize that the family had allowed 97% of the stock to leave their hands. I'm sure the temptation to sell shares of the company through the years was strong, but it ultimately cost them the family business. In the end, they had no control over who actually owned the family business. Pretty sad from my perspective.

 

[megadeth]

You're correct Chris. The Busch family only owned 3% of the company stock, but did control the decisions of the company, giving them literally total control over the marketing of the company. It was shocking to realize that the family had allowed 97% of the stock to leave their hands. I'm sure the temptation to sell shares of the company through the years was strong, but it ultimately cost them the family business. In the end, they had no control over who actually owned the family business. Pretty sad from my perspective.

Sounds like a perfect model of our Country and Government!

 

[90-percent]

I was always impressed when Kenny Bernstein said his job was "to sell beer". Not win races, not have the best team, not to go faster, but to sell beer.

And I also remember a Diamond P video "decade of thrills" with Steve Evans talking to Don Prudhomme about sponsors - his point was they ALWAYS come and go.

Budweisers thirty year run is awesome, but, like Snake and Steve said, all sponsors eventually move on to something else.

I would hope Kenny is schmoozing with Adolph Coors or Freddy Peils or Sammy Schmitts or Arnold Amsdel or Jim Kuch or somebody as I type. (OK - I made up most of the names - poetic licence)

Race fans are the most loyal consumers on the planet. Customer loyalty is very important. I used to change beer brands depending on who was in drag racing at the time. It will be spooky if there are no more "beer cars" in NHRA nitro racing next year!

Part of the customer loyalty factor is that the fans expect loyalty back from their brands. Bud nitro fans may be rethinking their beer preferences if Budweiser walks away from the sport. We could have a fan boycott: "Budweiser hates Drag Racing" tee shirts or something.

I've always been fascinated by products that use 60 cents of every dollar to advertise to convince you to buy the product. So your $1.00 coke provides 60 cents worth of advertising to get you to buy it in the first place! You're ending up with only 40 cents worth of product after spending a dollar to get it!

But thats what consumer marketing can be like , I guess?

-90% jimmy

 

[Nick Name]

That's what we need. A fan boycott. So all other potential sponsors know that you don't touch NHRA with a ten foot pole. or the same thing could happen to them.

Jay

 

[90-percent]

Good point, Jay.

I'm calling the tee shirt place to cancel my order right this minute!

Dodged a bullet there, didn't I?

My point is that it's very hard to build customer loyalty, but very easy to loose it! This sort of intangible consequence of pulling out of NHRA is something the new Bud corporate parent should consider, even if strictly from a cold, dispassionate, corporate business decision standpoint. You could save the sponsorship money, and find your sales are down beyond what you saved, so you're losing money pulling the sponsorship.

I'm trying to say that pulling sponsorship could be a BAD CORPORATE BUSINESS DECISION, if it alienates their beer drinking drag fans.

Seems like a void that could be considered an opportunity for some other beer brand to poach all the drag fans abandoned at the drag strip by Bud, maybe?

A exiting sponsor boycott is really an abysmal idea, come to think of it. I should take that back.

-90% jimmy

 

[d'kid]

That's what we need. A fan boycott. So all other potential sponsors know that you don't touch NHRA with a ten foot pole. or the same thing could happen to them.

Jay

I didn't touch Miller for twenty years after they built the brewery on Irwindale. Bud leaving won't effect me in the least, after I stopped drinking Miller, I switched to Jim Beam... and XX if I drink a beer.

d'kid

 

[Nick Name]

I didn't touch Miller for twenty years after they built the brewery on Irwindale. Bud leaving won't effect me in the least, after I stopped drinking Miller, I switched to Jim Beam... and XX if I drink a beer.

d'kid

That was different. That wasn't a case of a long time sponsor deciding to leave. That was Miller coming out there and picking the only place within a mile radius that had anything on it and deciding they wanted their new brewery on that spot.

 

[Randy]

That was different. That wasn't a case of a long time sponsor deciding to leave. That was Miller coming out there and picking the only place within a mile radius that had anything on it and deciding they wanted their new brewery on that spot.

I guess I'll help out the memory here.

Why did Miller pick the spot for their new plant, which happened to be the location of Irwindale Raceway? Because the railroad spur and access next to the freeway. The property, unfortunately, was worth a lot to them because they needed rail access to operate the plant, and other sites were not available or suitable.

RG

 

["Dr. Dirt"]

NHRA pressuring Bud? Really? They have as much influence with the brass at InBev as they have with Rick Stewart's hat designer.

The fact remains, if Bud wants to sell their beer in America, they MUST advertise to multiple influences, ages, types of beer drinkers. Without constant and aggressive marketing, they will literally die on the vine.
I've never done the liquor thing but I can clearly remember Schlitz and Pabst being industry leaders in my younger years. Their marketing softened and they are no longer mainstream products nor household names.

Madison avenue will tell InBev where and how to advertise and it will take a Bernstein quality presentation to land them back in the minor leagues where the NHRA resides, promotionally speaking. When we reach NASCAR status, that's where a sanctioning body will have some influence. Until then, we'll only see excellent team proposals landing sponsorships while the NHRA simply decides whether to allow them or to steal them.

Just my $.02

 

[rocketman]

Well, and they should pressure them. But in most cases the anwser is final unless people (all the passionate fans NHRA has) get off there butts and raise hell about it! Is there a petition started yet?

 

[Rajunz]

Here's a quiz:

1) Where was the race last weekend?

2) Where has the headquarters for Bud been the last million years?

Is that your final answer.

RG

You Crack Me Up!!! Spot On My Friend!!!

Randy always seems to be Spot On! Oh yeah, he too has been around this sport for a million years.