BRAND NASCAR: THE ULTIMATE BRANDED SPORT and WHY
Many of my clients and friends do not know this, but I cut my brand’ teeth in three incredible business sectors. The first was the sport of NASCAR over a dozen years ago, the second was the power of the NFL and the third was in world of music. NASCAR is the most branded sport in the world. Just about every single weekend you can find hundreds of automobiles racing on several tracks across America and each driver is either currently sponsored by a product or company, or in search of a corporate sponsor. The cost of a winning team is not cheap, as today’s top teams utilize upwards of 20 and 30 million dollars a year to create a winner on the track and a winner in the marketplace. The more positive visibility of the racing team, the more positive visibility and recognition of the driver, the more profitable the sponsorship is for the corporate sponsors. NASCAR BRANDING is all about tying one’s favorite driver to a favorite product or products.
The goal of the NASCAR branding machine is the same as the goal for the branding machine we find in Corporate Branding and in Personal and Professional Brand. Corporate Brand and Personal and Professional Brand is based around taking a visual statement, combining it with a verbal representation and creating a positive reaction in the viewers. If you like Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson or Jeff Gordon, then you are most likely to buy the products that sponsor their cars. It seems like just a few seasons ago when Tony Stewart was sponsored by Home Depot and Jimmie Johnson was sponsored by Lowe’s. Each company could track sales increases based upon the victories of either driver. Different companies, same industry, and sales could be aligned with NASCAR victories by their sponsored drivers. Even now, no one can forget the #3 Goodwrench sponsored car of Dale Earnhardt Sr.
One of the best ways to create a positive brand image is to tie your business or yourself to a known winner, or a winning personality. In the corporate world, those people are typically in sports and music, in the world of the Personal and Professional Brand, you are the star. People associate your personality,body language, verbal skills, humility and integrity to your own individual brand.
The key is to think of yourself each morning as the ultimate racing machine. How do you want people to associate your visual image with the driver of the machine itself? If clothing is the decal of your body, and your heart and soul the engine that drives you, how do you think people will categorize you? Are you looking like a winner, does your visual image create inspiration and creativity, does your appearance at home, at work or at play lift others who are around you? These are great questions to ask yourself. If you look like every other car on the track, you tend to blend in with mediocrity.
Personal and Professional Brand is about so much more than style and fashion. Look around you, how many people are in a ‘car’ (clothing and image) that is like everyone else? That is the sad fact about a fad fashion – in order for it to be a fad; everyone else must wear it and want to dress in it – creating a look that is average. This is the opposite of your goal to be unique and stand out. I hope this NASCAR insight has helped you understand how you can improve your chance of winning in the race of life, and still make your BRAND standout and keep you headed towards the winners circle.
Contact me if I can help you or your business create, communicate or simply improve your Personal and Professional Brand or the Corporate Brand that separates you from your competitors.
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