ON
TRACK WITH RICK PEARSON No. 20
in a Continuing Series By Rick Pearson
Hello and welcome to the fourth of my columns for 2001. This week I'm going to talk about my plans for 2001, otherwise known as "The Search For Sponsors".
As many of you might have heard, since it has recently been mentioned in the specialist press, I have lost my sponsorship for my UK drive in 2001. ActiveShop very generously supported us throughout 2000 and gave us the best possible backing throughout the Championship. However, their big rivals in the e-commerce market have all scaled back their advertising meaning that ActiveShop can now switch to the specialist press and still stand out from the crowd. They have made it clear they were very pleased with the coverage they received in 2000 so it is worth looking at the benefits a sponsor derives from the sponsorship of the racing team.
Firstly, you have the on-the-day crowd. Up to 30,000 people attend the Touring Car meetings we support and these have been proved to be in a very desirable audience sector. In their late 20's, early 30's they are predominately male and earn an average of £30,000 per year. This gives them high disposable income to spend on luxury goods, cars, bikes and toys! Clearly this is also a good market for hi-tec, computer goods and suchlike as these guys are also likely to have a high degree of computer literacy.
The next big benefit is the television coverage. On terrestrial television on both Channel 4 and Anglia, ActiveShop picked up well over five hours of good TV coverage for their brand in the UK alone in 2001. When you then consider the additional satellite coverage, which is broadcast throughout the Middle East, Far East, Americas and Southern Africa, it isn't hard to appreciate quite how valuable this can be to a sponsor's global brand recognition. As if these benefits weren't enough!
There are also the opportunities for race-day promotion and using the cars for attracting crowds at exhibitions and the like. Customers and potential customers can be entertained at the track during the season whilst at the end of a year, a spare seat can be bolted in and the driver can scare them all senseless! However, despite all this and my status as one of the favourites for the title, I have been unable to secure sponsorship for the UK Clio Cup for 2001. Considering that the benefits outlined above can be accrued for as little as £2,000 per race and full title sponsorship for a complete season works out at around £40,000 this seems surprising. These numbers may seem quite large, but when considered within the confines of a global marketing budget, clearly they are tiny. To buy an advert on the inside front cover of a men's magazine can cost in the region of £10-12,000 per issue which over the 9 months of the racing season equates to over double the cost and might still fail to impact with as many people.
Fortunately, the Europeans are more au fait with the benefits of race sponsorship and I have managed to put together a part season for 2001 in a Clio V6 in the Europe-wide Clio Trophy. Outings might be a bit few and far between and we won't be able to run to the same standard as we did in the UK on the budget we have (which will just about get the car there, I'm hitching!). But at the end of the day, it is racing and it will be on some of the greatest circuits in the world.
The advantage of the European Clio series is that it is a support race for the Grand Prix at Monaco. This enormously prestigious meeting is a sponsors dream and I am optimistic of finding enough budget to finish the season by selling space on the car to large companies who are entertaining their clients at the Grand Prix and want the added benefit of putting their name on a race car to create interest for their guests during the support race. They will also have the benefit of their very own driver coming "fresh from the battle" to speak to their clients, whilst they are being fed and watered before the main event. As of this moment, I am still waiting for confirmation from Renault that my entry has been accepted, I am also struggling to confirm the method of getting the car to the circuit. and I don't have an entry for any of the races.
No worries though, still 10 days before I need to be in Italy! 'Till next week,