Would you buy a mounted bass if it was painted in your favorite NASCAR team’s colors? How about a turkey caller painted like Mark Martin’s Viagara #6 car?
Don’t laugh. These are just a few of the prototype promo items that have made their way across Roush Racing president Geoff Smith’s desk.
“NASCAR has the greatest licensing growth potential vs. any other major sport right now,” said NASCAR VP-Licensing & Consumer Products Mark Dyer yesterday at Street & Smith’s Sports Business Journal and The Sports Business Daily’s Motorsports Marketing Forum in New York City.
Dyer said NASCAR is in a transition that will allow it to market both the sport and its drivers. He said the Chase for the NEXTEL NASCAR Cup, which gives the top 10 drivers point-wise a shot to win the championship, in the springboard for that growth.
Though Chase items didn’t have a major impact this year, the first season with the championship format, Dyer said that impact will build over time.
“Look at what the Chase did this year for Mark Martin. He earned the 10th spot and was a huge story over the last three months of the season,” Dyer said. “We think the Chase elevates all drivers involved.”
John Killen, president and CEO of novelty licensee WinCraft USA, noted that his sales usually dip in August and September as consumers start thinking about holiday shopping. However, it was not the case this year. He said the Chase generated steady sales for the drivers who had a shot at the championship.
Dyer also noted that NASCAR is instituting a hologram system which will be put on authentic licensed goods in an attempt to cut down on counterfeit products being sold. It will be the last of the major sports to institute such a system, and 130 licensees have signed on.
“The problem with counterfeiting is that it doesn’t show up on a licensees balance sheet,” Dyer said. “It affects the licensees rights, but not its physical inventory.”
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