Ask.com Drives Diverse NASCAR Deal
Ask.com struck a multi-faceted multimedia sponsorship deal with NASCAR that will give it a primary car sponsorship and track presence, while making it the stock car outfit’s official search engine.
Ask.com’s primary sponsorship of the No. 96 Ford driven by Bobby Labonte is part of a pact with Hall of Fame Racing in the overall sponsorship package. Hall of Fame Racing and Yates Racing unveiled a new partnership simultaneous with the Ask.com deal. The Ask Ford car will run in the prestigious NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
Details about the online information firm’s profile at the tracks are currently under discussion with NASCAR track operators, with on-site signage and in-arena media presence as the primary objectives.
Ask.com will exclusively power the search function, and will create a new NASCAR toolbar for its users. That functionality will be rolled out when the NASCAR season revs up next month with the Daytona 500.
Ask.com cited NASCAR fans renowned brand loyalty at its primary motivation for the deal.
“NASCAR fans are the most sponsor-loyal fan base in sports,” Ask.com spokesperson Andrea Riggs said. “NASCAR fans appreciate the companies who support the sport they love and who enable the teams to keep racing.”
Neither party ascribed a cost to the deal, which bucks the trend of NASCAR sponsors opting off the circuit. A primary car sponsorship runs in the $25 million range, but the search services Ask.com is providing will likely reduce that price tag and the cost of a track presence on the Sprint Cup circuit.
