Interviews & Articles
Millsport's senior sports business executives are available for interviews, commentary, and analysis on a number of sports marketing and sponsorship topics. To arrange an interview, please contact Chris Anderson at (214) 259-3290.
Sports Business Daily Q&A with Mike Bartelli
Jan 4, 2008
Catching Up With Millsport Motorsports President Mike BartelliSPORTS BUSINESS DAILY
An expert in motorsports marketing, Mike Bartelli, who helped launch Millsport's Charlotte branch in '01, was recently named President of Millsport Motorsports and has racked up a client portfolio that includes Sunoco, Tylenol, XM Satellite Radio, Pepcid and Elizabeth Arden. He also led the acquisition of the inaugural Nextel Cup race at Chicagoland Speedway in '01. Bartelli, named to SportsBusiness Journal's "Forty Under 40" list in '05, this week participated in an e-mail exchange with Staff Writer Beth Thrower, and answered a few questions about NASCAR, motorsports sponsorships and what lies ahead in '08.
Hometown: Baldwinsville, New York
College: Canisius College
NBA or NFL: NFL
Rent the DVD or go to the theater: I have a 2 year old son, so “Bob the Builder” is monopolizing our DVD player. I can’t even remember the last movie we went to.
Favorite Christmas Gift: XBOX 360
Will Jimmie Johnson ‘three-peat’ next year? I wouldn’t bet against him.
Q: Your group was responsible for getting BRITNEY SPEARS to sing the national anthem at the Pepsi 400 and appear in Pepsi promotions with JEFF GORDON. What do you find celebrity appeal does for marketing in NASCAR?
Bartelli: I didn't get Britney. Credit for that has to go to a number of other people. But bringing in celebrities from other entertainment venues -- film, television, music, etc. -- potentially helps NASCAR reach new fan bases, oftentimes consumers who would have never considered looking at the sport. In all candor, I think the jury is still out in terms of the actual effectiveness of the tactic in actually creating new fans, but there is little doubt that the industry’s concerted efforts at cross-marketing in the past five to seven years have helped elevate the profile of the sport.
Q: Because ratings have leveled off, do you read this as an indication that NASCAR’s popularity has leveled off?
Bartelli: This is my read: there was a convergence of several factors that lead to the absolutely explosive growth of NASCAR in the first half of this decade. Among them, DALE EARNHARDT's death at Daytona in 2001 and the unprecedented media coverage of the sport that followed; the new network (FOX,NBC,Turner) deals that began the same year that, for the first time, provided some consistency to the broadcast delivery of NASCAR racing; the rise of DALE EARNHARDT JR. and his development into the sport’s first true cross-over star; and a number of others. I simply don’t think this growth -- seen in TV ratings and track attendance -- was sustainable, because many of these fans, millions perhaps, sort of sampled the sport for awhile, but didn’t stick with it. And, at the same time, a decent number of long-time fans felt alienated by some of the developments they saw in the sport, and we lost them. And further, virtually everyone’s ratings are off as consumers have more entertainment choices, it seems, every day. So yes, NASCAR’s popularity has leveled off and it’s settled into its long-term position as one of the two, three or four -- depending on whose metrics you believe -- most popular sports in this country.
Q: What development in '07 will have the biggest impact on NASCAR going into ’08?
Bartelli: Hands down, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s move to Hendrick.
Q: What three trends do you see emerging from brands looking to get the most out of their sports sponsorship?
Bartelli: 1) An increasing acceptance/realization that being a great brand manager/director doesn’t mean you are an expert in sponsorship; it really is a discipline that requires a focused expertise. 2) An emphasis on creating meaningful opportunities for consumer engagement with the brand. 3) The increasing implementation of credible ROI measures that, ultimately, will drive sponsorship decisions.
Q: What are the risks NASCAR is taking by expanding so aggressively outside the southeast?
Bartelli: Some long-time southern fans probably feel that the sport has abandoned them and you can understand why, when you look at certain decisions that have been made. But for the long-term health and vitality of the sport, it had to, and still has to, expand its reach and fanship in other parts of the country.
Q: What is one marketing platform you admire in the motorsports business, other than your own?
Bartelli: I have long admired how UPS has been able to sustain and keep fresh its campaign with DALE JARRETT and the brown truck and how they’ve leveraged their sponsorships across B-to-B and consumer channels.
Q: What makes NASCAR's female fan base different than that of other sports, and what do you do to reach out to this demographic?
Bartelli: The female NASCAR fan is, perhaps, more independent in her affinities than the female fan of any other sports. So often, she has selected her favorite driver for reasons that are meaningful to her and not because of the influence of a brother, boyfriend, husband or father, which is typically the case in other sports. This is vitally important to understand when a brand is creating a NASCAR platform.
Q: Who is the most under-marketed driver in NASCAR?
Bartelli: Hands down, ELLIOTT SADLER. He is one of the handful of Cup guys who gets it, with fans and in the boardroom. And once Evernham gets him the equipment, watch out.
Q: Driver deal vs. track deal vs. team deal vs. NASCAR deal. What fits best for what brand?
Bartelli: I could spend hours on this one. Instead, I’ll share the following; since the 2001 inception of our motorsports practice, we’ve had several hundred million dollars in client sponsorship spending under our management. In that time, we have seen exactly one business case that justified the decision to spend full-time, Cup-primary sponsorship dollars. Our work on every other engagement, whether the category was fragrance or waste management or pain relief medication, led us to a different asset solution, sometimes driven by strategy, but just as often by economics. I am certainly not anti-team, but in my experience, it is the rare brand that can afford and justify the three-year, $60M typical point of entry, before spending the first activation dollar.
Q: Is NASCAR's season too long?
Bartelli: Yes, by ten races. But don't ask me how you shorten it!
Q: What sport are you keeping an eye on in 2008?
Bartelli: Ultimate Fighting. As a long-time boxing fan, it is not lost on me that young guys today could pretty much care less about the sport I grew up watching and are turning to this mixed martial arts stuff in droves.
