Photo credit: NASCAR
To be successful, any organization or league needs to have open communication with its partners.
NASCAR has been able to develop longstanding relationships with Mobil 1 and Mars, and both brands are marketing products differently through a relationship with the sport.
ExxonMobil: A Look at Marketing Its Mobil 1 Annual Protection Oil
The Mobil 1 brand has been involved with NASCAR for over 15 years and the relationship has been successful due to a common goal – both ExxonMobil and NASCAR want to share the sport, not just with fans but with consumers as well.
In December, ExxonMobil’s Mobil 1 brand was honored by NASCAR with the Marketing Achievement Award thanks to its successful relationship with the sanctioning body.
“The relationship has been so successful because of our common goal to share the great sport of NASCAR with fans and consumers,” said Kai Decker, motorsports and sponsorship manager, lubricants marketing of ExxonMobil. “We are able to utilize both our digital and social platforms to connect with racing fans. It really has been a mutually beneficial partnership.”
Mobil 1 has been focused on heavily promoting its Annual Protection Motor Oil, and NASCAR has been able to serve as a catalyst for the promotion of the product.
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“NASCAR has been huge in promoting Mobil 1’s Annual Protection motor oil via its ability to test technology at the track, as well as include messaging about the motor oil in many NASCAR sponsored events,” said Decker.
One of the unique aspects about Mobil 1 is that it is not just involved with the sanctioning body, but also has a relationship with a top-level Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series team, Stewart-Haas Racing, which is co-owned by three-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart.
“Our relationships with NASCAR and Stewart-Haas Racing complement each other brilliantly,” said Decker. “Both partnerships helped launch Mobil 1 Annual Protection motor oil and continue to help Mobil 1 share the value of our motor oil with passionate fans across their digital and social channels.”
ExxonMobil leveraged its relationship with Stewart-Haas by using Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 SHR Ford, in a pair of television commercials.
“(Kevin) Harvick was fantastic in the two TV spots,” said Decker. “He is great at representing Mobil 1 and the competitive edge that it gives Stewart-Haas Racing on the track.”
Last season, the Mobil 1 brand became one of the partners in NASCAR’s Ultimate Performers Program with the Mobil 1 Performance Award. It was a clear fit for the brand since Mobil 1 is committed to both racing and automotive excellence. The campaign was a hit on digital and social media too.
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“Social and digital marketing continues to be important and invaluable in reaching consumers, so we appreciate NASCAR’s continued focus on their prominent social channels and website,” Decker said. “NASCAR is an attractive platform enabling us to demonstrate performance on the track and turn it into a great Mobil 1 experience for fans and consumers.”
Mars: A Partnership Focused on Innovation
In addition to ExxonMobil, Mars has had a longstanding involvement in NASCAR – one that goes back to the early 1990s when Snickers, a Mars brand, was featured on the Stavola Brothers Racing machine driven by Rick Wilson. Since one of its products was featured on Wilson’s car more than 20 years ago, Mars’ involvement in the sport has soared to new heights.
Not only did Mars begin to sponsor drivers like Ernie Irvan, Elliott Sadler and currently the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota driven by Kyle Busch, the executives focused on a business-to-business approach for building relationships.
“Our partnership with NASCAR was a natural progression of the increasing visibility (and success) at the track, and our desire to create more ways to connect with fans, and foster relationships with the other blue-chip brands that share partnerships with NASCAR,” said William Clements, global vice president of sponsorship and family properties for Mars Inc. “Our partnership with the sanctioning body has made M&M’S synonymous with the colorful fun that fans love about NASCAR. From the drivers, to the cars, to the fans, NASCAR is an amazing platform for M&M’S.”
The executive team at Mars is proud of the different successes they’ve had with various Mars brands via its partnership with NASCAR, including getting the message out about the need for dog adoption for Pedigree, the support of Skittles Sweet Heat and even introducing the popular UK brand Malteasers into the U.S. market.
Clements knows that Mars would not have the success it has achieved in NASCAR without a proper marketing approach.
“Our NASCAR marketing involves a 360 approach that allows us to leverage every relationship, partner and efficiency possible to generate awareness for our brands,” said Clements.
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Mars used a unique marketing approach for the return of M&M’S Crispy in 2015, bringing back the popular racing film “Days of Thunder,” but with a twist. The Mars team reimagined several scenes of the movie using driver Kyle Busch, wife Samantha, crew chief Adam Stevens and even team owner coach Joe Gibbs, as actors.
“It was incredibly successful in exposing a new generation of fans to the iconic movie and M&M’S Crispy, and it leveraged all of the resources we have at our disposal as an official partner. The series was filmed and edited by NASCAR Productions and had great exposure on NASCAR.com and NASCAR digital properties.”
The team at Mars knows that NASCAR has significant value from a marketing standpoint not only because of the various platforms available for exposure, but also because of innovation.
“Much like Mars, NASCAR is grounded in innovation,” said Clements. “While that can easily be seen on track and the sport’s desire to make the competition as strong as possible, it is also evident in the sanctioning body’s desire to innovate for its partners. We have a fantastic working relationship with our colleagues at NASCAR who understand what we need from a business standpoint, and are open to discussing and innovating new ways to reach fans and our key customers.”
