Bucking the recent trend among NASCAR sponsors, Mars North America has renewed its long-term relationship as a backer of big-time stock car racing in a multi-year pact that will keep several of its brands at the track.
M&M’s remains the official chocolate of the motorsport, with Snickers as the official chocolate bar, Combos as the official cheese snack and Pedigree as the official pet food on the NASCAR circuit.
“Being an official NASCAR partner illustrates our dedication to the fans, our drivers and the sport, while driving brand affinity and excitement for our brands,” said Suzanne Beaudoin, vice president, sponsorships and sports marketing, Mars North America.
A NASCAR supporter for nearly 20 years, Mars also has a multi-year pact in place with Joe Gibbs Racing that it initiated last season, sponsoring the number 18 Toyota driven by Kyle Busch, who racked up eight victories displaying the M&M’s multi-colors.
M&M’S will jump start the season with its second run of “The Most Colorful Fan of NASCAR Contest” at the Daytona 500 in February and continue for 24 weeks.
The Pedigree brand will launch a new contest, “Pedigree Brand presents The Luckiest Dog of NASCAR,” in late April when the first of three cars sponsored by the Pedigree races at Talladega Superspeedway.
Mars Combo will launch a new “Man Zone” on-pack promotion, visiting 10 race tracks during the first half of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.
Snickers will promote its NASCAR role in retail outlets nationwide.
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