Dodge unlikely to see sales surge after Daytona 500 win
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02-23-2008, 05:28 AM
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Dodge unlikely to see sales surge after Daytona 500 win
There aren't too many sports where the winner's equipment gets almost equal billing, but look at the statistics accompanying results for the Daytona 500 and you'll see not just the names of top three finishers Ryan Newman, Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart but also the brands they drive: Dodge, Dodge and Toyota.
This was a rare bit of sunshine for a struggling Detroit, because Stewart and his Toyota looked to be headed for victory until the Dodges blew past him.
Chrysler took a victory lap Monday, saying the win tells consumers that Dodge can build competitive cars and trucks for the street. But observers added that while there was certainly a lot of free advertising involved, the showroom adage of "Win on Sunday, sell on Monday" doesn't really play like it once did.
More fans are likely to remember that Newman won in the blue No. 12 car sponsored by Alltel Wireless than the fact that he drove an ersatz Dodge Charger that bears little resemblance to the production car NASCAR fans can buy, they said.
Jim Hossack, vice president of industry forecaster Auto Pacific, said when his firm asks consumers what they consider important when choosing a car, auto racing is near the bottom.
"Virtually no one says it's important. It's tiny, maybe 1 percent. You may get something out of it, but I'm not sure it's a whole lot," he said, adding that the impact may be greater among hard-core NASCAR fans.
Cars such as the Chevrolet Monte Carlo and Ford Thunderbird won dozens of NASCAR races, yet sales of their respective brands slipped to the point they were discontinued, noted marketing consultant John Bulcroft, head of The Advisory Group in Cresskill, N.J.
"At one time there used to be more identification of the production model with the race car. Now they just carry the name of the car and maybe the engine of the manufacturer," Bulcroft said.
Indeed, nothing is "stock" about the cars rubbing fenders at nearly 200 m.p.h. at Daytona, with the vehicles bearing only a vague resemblance to the street car.
"I don't think it drives as much in sales as it did 15 or more years ago," Bulcroft said. "What they're getting is name recognition. It's just another form of advertising."
Even then, team sponsors, including Miller Lite, M&M's candy and Home Depot, get more attention.
Still, there's no denying some kind of message got through. On the last lap, Newman and teammate Busch pulled ahead of Toyota Camrys that led much of the race.
A win like that in NASCAR's biggest event boosts awareness of the brand, gives dealers another selling tool and pumps up morale at the company, said Dodge brand director Mike Accavitti.
"There's still a little bit of 'Win on Sunday, sell on Monday,'" he said, citing the slogan coined in the 1960s. "When a Dodge Charger beats out Camrys, [Chevrolet] Impalas and [Ford] Fusions, that's very positive for the Dodge brand and the Charger."
Many millions watching
The Daytona 500 is the most watched race in the U.S., eclipsing the Indianapolis 500, with more than 33.5 million viewers tuning in to at least part of the broadcast Sunday. Accavitti said a 30-second TV ad spot cost about $500,000, so the dozens of references to Dodge and the Charger add up to millions of dollars of exposure.
"It's about [forming] opinions and consideration. When fans see the car that won on the track in the showroom, they know they get some of that on the production car. Sales aren't going to go through the roof this morning as a result, but it builds awareness in a positive light," he said.
NASCAR claims it has 75 million fans, numbers coveted by auto manufacturers and other sponsors trying to draw more attention to their products.
While serious NASCAR fans know that former champion Tony Stewart now drives a Toyota instead of a Chevy, most viewers recognize him by the orange colors on the No. 20 car he drives for sponsor Home Depot, whom he has been with since he entered NASCAR in 1998.
Loyalty to domestics
This was a rare bit of sunshine for a struggling Detroit, because Stewart and his Toyota looked to be headed for victory until the Dodges blew past him.
Chrysler took a victory lap Monday, saying the win tells consumers that Dodge can build competitive cars and trucks for the street. But observers added that while there was certainly a lot of free advertising involved, the showroom adage of "Win on Sunday, sell on Monday" doesn't really play like it once did.
More fans are likely to remember that Newman won in the blue No. 12 car sponsored by Alltel Wireless than the fact that he drove an ersatz Dodge Charger that bears little resemblance to the production car NASCAR fans can buy, they said.
Jim Hossack, vice president of industry forecaster Auto Pacific, said when his firm asks consumers what they consider important when choosing a car, auto racing is near the bottom.
"Virtually no one says it's important. It's tiny, maybe 1 percent. You may get something out of it, but I'm not sure it's a whole lot," he said, adding that the impact may be greater among hard-core NASCAR fans.
Cars such as the Chevrolet Monte Carlo and Ford Thunderbird won dozens of NASCAR races, yet sales of their respective brands slipped to the point they were discontinued, noted marketing consultant John Bulcroft, head of The Advisory Group in Cresskill, N.J.
"At one time there used to be more identification of the production model with the race car. Now they just carry the name of the car and maybe the engine of the manufacturer," Bulcroft said.
Indeed, nothing is "stock" about the cars rubbing fenders at nearly 200 m.p.h. at Daytona, with the vehicles bearing only a vague resemblance to the street car.
"I don't think it drives as much in sales as it did 15 or more years ago," Bulcroft said. "What they're getting is name recognition. It's just another form of advertising."
Even then, team sponsors, including Miller Lite, M&M's candy and Home Depot, get more attention.
Still, there's no denying some kind of message got through. On the last lap, Newman and teammate Busch pulled ahead of Toyota Camrys that led much of the race.
A win like that in NASCAR's biggest event boosts awareness of the brand, gives dealers another selling tool and pumps up morale at the company, said Dodge brand director Mike Accavitti.
"There's still a little bit of 'Win on Sunday, sell on Monday,'" he said, citing the slogan coined in the 1960s. "When a Dodge Charger beats out Camrys, [Chevrolet] Impalas and [Ford] Fusions, that's very positive for the Dodge brand and the Charger."
Many millions watching
The Daytona 500 is the most watched race in the U.S., eclipsing the Indianapolis 500, with more than 33.5 million viewers tuning in to at least part of the broadcast Sunday. Accavitti said a 30-second TV ad spot cost about $500,000, so the dozens of references to Dodge and the Charger add up to millions of dollars of exposure.
"It's about [forming] opinions and consideration. When fans see the car that won on the track in the showroom, they know they get some of that on the production car. Sales aren't going to go through the roof this morning as a result, but it builds awareness in a positive light," he said.
NASCAR claims it has 75 million fans, numbers coveted by auto manufacturers and other sponsors trying to draw more attention to their products.
While serious NASCAR fans know that former champion Tony Stewart now drives a Toyota instead of a Chevy, most viewers recognize him by the orange colors on the No. 20 car he drives for sponsor Home Depot, whom he has been with since he entered NASCAR in 1998.
Loyalty to domestics
