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.
Dale Earnhardt Jr flexes his creative muscle
Feb 19, 2009
Driver's creative input allows ads to show 'real' Junior
By Nate Ryan, USA TODAY
If NASCAR fans wanted more proof that Dale Earnhardt Jr. has become an icon who can eclipse his sport, there was plenty during Sunday's Daytona 500 telecast.
No, not the 10-car crash involving the No. 88 Chevrolet that sparked a torrent of talk-radio chatter about whether favoritism saved Earnhardt from being penalized for rough driving.
Sandwiched around the on-track action was a flurry of commercials starring Earnhardt, and one stood out in particular.
In a 15-second spot for primary sponsor Amp Energy — a tease to a seven-minute, documentary-style video on www.ampenergy.com— Earnhardt and six buddies are seen racing go-karts, firing paintball guns and shooting pool. The Sprint Cup driver created the concept, a departure from the 2008 ads that relied on scripted humor normally associated with commercials.
"We think we're breaking new ground with an athlete and how we use him in the creative process," says Lauren Hobart, vice president of marketing for Pepsi-Cola North America Beverages.
The campaign is another indicator of Earnhardt's endorsement clout as a six-time most popular driver. When he entered Cup in 2000, Earnhardt rode on the coattails of Budweiser, which positioned its marketing around the driver's penchant for partying in his 20s.
Now Earnhardt, 34, hopes his sponsors hitch their brands to him as he did with the beer giant.
"Bud did a hell of a job making that identity," Earnhardt says. "They were this big damn brand in NASCAR, and I rode shotgun for eight years. We've got to do the same thing now in reverse. I said to Amp, 'Instead of snazzy commercials that are fiction, why don't we do it like Bud?' The things we preached were real, and that sincerity came across to fans."
Says Thayer Lavielle, vice president of marketing and brand development for Earnhardt's JR Motorsports: "We are lucky to have sponsors who allow us to help frame their creative around who he is rather than solely around their brand."
The philosophy was applied to the Amp shoot, which was filmed over two days at Earnhardt's sprawling 140-acre property in Cleveland, N.C., and was directed by Sundance Film Festival winner Stacy Peralta. There was no script, and the shooting locations — a go-kart track, a paintball field and his Whisky River bar in Charlotte — were chosen by Earnhardt, who says he and his friends "get up every day fighting off boredom."
"He wanted to show he drinks this product in his environment," Hobart says. "He's always been authentic. That's what fans love."
Earnhardt's legions of followers already seem convinced. Amp's sales are up more than 70% in the past year, and Hobart says it has climbed from sixth to fourth among energy drinks.
"Dale Jr. was a critical piece of what drove our sales," Hobart says. "It was a catalyst for 5 million new consumers to try the brand."
Marketing data suggest Earnhardt has no peers as a Cup spokesman. In polling of avid NASCAR fans after the 2008 season for the Davie-Brown Index, which quantifies an athlete's relevance to consumer behavior, Earnhardt ranked first in all eight categories (including trust, awareness and appeal). Ken Cohn, vice president for the Millsport marketing agency conducting the survey, says fans are 20% more passionate about Earnhardt than about other drivers.
"Junior can do no wrong in the eyes of the fan," Cohn says. "He can solidify a brand because he embodies it. When you transfer the affinity fans have for Junior to a brand, that can be powerful."
Go Daddy, which also began running commercials last weekend shot on Earnhardt's property, aligned with the driver partly because he was a customer who had used the company's domain registration and website hosting. The ads by Go Daddy, which sponsors JR Motorsports and Hendrick Motorsports in Nationwide and Cup, were scripted but with input from Earnhardt.
"He's extremely hands-on," says Barb Rechterman, executive vice president of marketing for Go Daddy. "He likes to do things he calls 'the real deal.' If it's something he wouldn't say or do in real life, he likely won't do it on a commercial."
