This might just be the most delicious promo of the year.
With his win at Phoenix earlier this season locking him into the 2017 NASCAR playoffs, Ryan Newman recently received another piece of good news: Velveeta will sponsor his №31 team for several races throughout the remainder of the season.
The sponsorship agreement kicked off Sunday at Michigan International Speedway with Velveeta as the primary sponsor. When the cheese brand, which is owned by Kraft/Heinz, is not featured on the hood, it will serve as an associate (secondary) sponsor.
While monetary details of the sponsorship were not announced, it is clear that the two entities have worked together and are providing tremendous activation, mainly in the form of giveaways.
A national sweepstakes will be conducted with one winner receiving the “LIQUID GOLD” championship experience — an exclusive, all expenses paid trip to Homestead-Miami Speedway, site of the final race of NASCAR’s playoffs, where a champion will be crowned.
The “LIQUID GOLD” sweepstakes is certainly a win-win for both Richard Childress Racing and Velveeta.
With Newman already locked into the playoffs, there is chance he will be one of four drivers to advance to the final race in NASCAR’s playoffs at Homestead. The sweepstakes will provide Newman adequate publicity, along with Velveeta.
Kraft will place 3 million boxes in stores with the sweepstakes information included. That will help the company increase sales and also measure their return on investment.
Ben Schlosser, Chief Marketing Officer for Richard Childress Racing noted the excitement behind the “LIQUID GOLD” sweepstakes. Schlosser stated, “American families enjoy the convenience and tastiness of VELVEETA Shells & Cheese every day of the week, and now they’ll have the opportunity to win a VIP trip to our season finale in Miami, while engaging with ‘LIQUID GOLD’ content throughout the season featuring Ryan (Newman), crew chief Luke Lambert, the №31 VELVEETA Shells & Cheese crew members and other RCR personalities.”
Secondary winners will be awarded autographed memorabilia. More than 100 items signed by Newman, including fire suits and replica helmets will be given to winners. The promotion kicks off this month.
The activation behind this partnership will help Kraft measure its performance in various regions across the United States. The sales results will be instrumental in helping the organization figure out how to sell more units where their numbers are not up to par.
According to Chuck Hover, a sales and marketing professional, “There is a very clear and measurable ROI built into this program from the start. Kraft/Heinz will place 3 million units with the racecar and branding into stores and be able to get clear figures on sales results. They will know what regions performed better and where they sold less.”
Velveeta joins a host of other sponsors on Newman’s №31 Chevrolet, including: Caterpillar, Grainger and Kalahari Resorts & Conventions. The South Bend, Indiana native currently sits 15th in points but earned his first win since 2013 earlier this season. A second win in 2017 would give him his first multi-win campaign since 2004.
For more NASCAR news, follow @Kraig_Doremus.
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