NASCAR has a demographic problem. The motor sport’s top-level Sprint Cup series holds the current title of having the oldest, most politically conservative and least diverse fans of the major professional sports leagues. It feels as though NASCAR has always been this way, as if a requirement of outlaw country culture is included in the team regulations. However, over the past decade NASCAR has suffered from a steady decline in television ratings, forcing the association to change in order to survive. NASCAR has long relied on legendary fan loyalty to boost race attendance and viewership, but as their core fan group ages out they must seek new avenues of recruitment to rebuild their fan base and keep sponsors satisfied. Their target is, and
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He doesn’t reference political gridlock or election troubles, but the “demographic problems” plaguing both organizations share several parallels. NASCAR, much like the Republican Party, has long catered to the white, middle class, conservative and over-35 population. For decades Bill France Sr. and his son, Bill France Jr, presided over this demographic with outstanding success as chairmen of NASCAR. The France family took stock car racing from a motel room business meeting to the second-most viewed regular sports season in America. For whatever reason, this long-winning formula is returning diminishing success for both organizations, and if NASCAR wishes to continue dominating as a major sport, it must change to match the …show more content…
The best way to rebrand old-school drivers for new-school fans is to start with the sponsors. Sponsors are everything in racing, they determine the look of the car, they plaster any fan’s gear with their logos and they rely on race loyalty to build brand loyalty. But what if NASCAR went after sponsors with a strong brand image to try the reverse: building race fans out of brand-loyal customers. The key for NASCAR will be to attract popular, culturally significant brands that will bring followers with them. An excellent example is Beats headphones. Companies like Beats will bring their cultural influence with the brand name, and would be a strong motivator to return NASCAR to popular
He doesn’t reference political gridlock or election troubles, but the “demographic problems” plaguing both organizations share several parallels. NASCAR, much like the Republican Party, has long catered to the white, middle class, conservative and over-35 population. For decades Bill France Sr. and his son, Bill France Jr, presided over this demographic with outstanding success as chairmen of NASCAR. The France family took stock car racing from a motel room business meeting to the second-most viewed regular sports season in America. For whatever reason, this long-winning formula is returning diminishing success for both organizations, and if NASCAR wishes to continue dominating as a major sport, it must change to match the …show more content…
The best way to rebrand old-school drivers for new-school fans is to start with the sponsors. Sponsors are everything in racing, they determine the look of the car, they plaster any fan’s gear with their logos and they rely on race loyalty to build brand loyalty. But what if NASCAR went after sponsors with a strong brand image to try the reverse: building race fans out of brand-loyal customers. The key for NASCAR will be to attract popular, culturally significant brands that will bring followers with them. An excellent example is Beats headphones. Companies like Beats will bring their cultural influence with the brand name, and would be a strong motivator to return NASCAR to popular