Repucom to provide sponsorship research and consulting services to INDYCAR (Update)
Since the report is paid for by IndyCar the report will say just how great everything is.
The IndyCar Series' television ratings and live attendance have crept upwards in recent years. But most IndyCar races are still below the 1.0 Nielsen rating [1 million viewers nationwide] that many sponsors demand. And that is the #1 issue. IndyCar likes to collect the check from NBCSN instead of putting all the races on ABC or NBC terrestrial TV, which would guarantee the average rating per race would be over 1.0. In other words, IndyCar cares about themselves, not their teams. Who cares if the teams have to rely on ride-buyers instead of getting sponsorship on their own using solid TV numbers, as long as IndyCar gets that check from NBCSN every month….right?
Why are there a lot of sponsors in F1? Global TV ratings – huge number of eyeballs.
Why are there a lot of sponsors in NASCAR? TV ratings – huge number of eyeballs.
Why are there a small amount of 'paying' sponsors in IndyCar? – small number of eyeballs.
If IndyCar opens their checkbook and pays whatever it takes the get all the races on network TV for just one year, they will then have the ratings needed to negotiate a better TV deal for themselves in subsequent years, and the teams will have the ratings needed to land sponsors in subsequent years.
It's not rocket science folks. However, this 'fact' is overlooked by those in the IndyCar front office. As long as they collect that check from NBCSN every month, that's all that matters.
01/19/16 Repucom, a trusted advisor in sports and entertainment intelligence, will provide media valuation and sponsorship consulting services to Hulman & Company, the parent of INDYCAR and Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The partnership encompasses media analysis of all Verizon IndyCar Series events, all events at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the tracking of the INDYCAR brand worldwide.
In addition, Repucom will work with INDYCAR on understanding the digital and social landscape, and provide commercial strategy around available platforms.
"INDYCAR is a valuable brand and it is an exciting time in the Verizon IndyCar Series with the 100th Running of the Indy 500 this year. Repucom will help Hulman & Company maximize sponsorship assets and support the group as it connects commercial partners with loyal motorsports fans," said Repucom executive vice president Peter Laatz.
"The Verizon IndyCar Series season is expanding, viewership is up and fans are engaged. We look forward to working with Repucom to share our story about what INDYCAR has to offer and to provide our partners with a reliable, independent analysis of the return on their investment in the sport," said Rod Davis, chief revenue officer of Hulman & Company.
INDYCAR is the most recent major professional sports league to rely upon Repucom's Connected Solutions platform, joining the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB and MLS. Additionally, Repucom has extensive credentials among motorsports clients including Formula One, NASCAR, MotoGP, V8 Supercars, Global Rally Cross, World Rally Cross, Monster Energy Supercross, Amsoil Arenacross and MonsterJam.
Repucom combines reputable technologies with the world's largest global source of holistic sponsorship data to capture and quantify value across traditional, digital and social media platforms. By establishing a neutral standardized measure, clients can benchmark media performance across major sport and entertainment investments.