The Road to Brand Loyalty: Celebrating a Decade of Motor Racing Partnerships

The Road to Brand Loyalty: Celebrating a Decade of Motor Racing Partnerships

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There are only a few places where you’ll find multi-platform activations, access to influencers, brand ownership, and alignment with the biggest events of the year - live sports has all that and more.

Live sports audio coverage has the ability to connect brands with consumers not only because it’s appointment listening at its best, but also because of the loyalty-building opportunities and its accessibility to advertisers of all sizes and budgets. 

Since day one, live sports have been a major part of AdLarge Media’s portfolio and we are strong believers in the power of the platform. Today, in addition to NCAA football and basketball, we’re proud to represent 100% of motor racing broadcasts across NASCAR and IndyCar. 

In a world of uncertainty and eroding brand loyalty, motor racing, in particular, continues to deliver an outlet for brands to engage the world’s most unique sports fan with truly robust capabilities.

A Loyalty-Building Engine:

Maintaining loyalty is more important than ever. According to Forbes, 75% of consumers have tried different stores, websites, or brands during the pandemic. 

Tom Brady isn’t wearing a uniform emblazoned with brand logos, but the world’s greatest race car drivers are. For racing fans, advertisers and sponsors are synonymous with support for their favorite teams and drivers. This translates to a halo effect that glows brightly. 

For NASCAR fans specifically, their purchase decisions are heavily influenced by the sponsors they see in the sport they love. In an independent survey of 1,000 nationwide, random NASCAR fans, 71% of the NASCAR audience reported that they “Almost always” or “Frequently” choose a product involved in NASCAR over one that is not, simply because of the sponsorship. 

From the same study, 57% indicated that they had a higher trust in NASCAR sponsors (side note: only 16% of the general public hold a “Higher” trust in Olympic sponsors). Sports fans don’t get more loyal than this. 

“We’ve seen the loyalty of racing fans transfer to brands associated with the sport’s flag-to-flag coverage. With new listeners flocking to the broadcasts to get their live sports fix, advertisers have a shot at turning them into dedicated customers.” 

- Don Wachsmith, Chief Revenue Officer for AdLarge

The Engagement Roadmap:

So how can brands make the most of that halo effect and capitalize on sports radio’s most loyal listeners? Psst...it’s more than 30-second commercials.

Luckily, motor racing offers more than spots and dots, putting brands in the driver’s seat with endorsements, turnkey integrations, and unique ownership opportunities:

  • Personalized host-read endorsements from trusted talent like NASCAR Hall-of-Famer Rusty Wallace or MRN anchor Kim Coon.

  • Get audiences to interact beyond the broadcasts with promotions, online and social extensions, and at-track activations.

  • Own a season-long feature or even your entire brand category. Ask about category exclusivity where available. 

Plus, there’s sustained engagement even after the regular season ends with pre and post-season programming, evergreen content, and podcasts. The racing news cycle - and demand from fans - is active 365-days a year.

Even if you’re already investing in other non-audio sports platforms, there’s an audience you’re missing out on. One in three fans follow NASCAR on radio, allowing them to take the sport with them no matter where they are. Reach an unduplicated audience of listeners tuning in when they can’t set aside 4+ hours with the TV broadcast. or fans who are not ready to attend events just yet

The Excitement Starts...Now:

The 2021 Daytona 500 is just a week away and with venue limitations still in place, fans will be tuning in to the MRN broadcast more than ever to get their Daytona fix.

The IndyCar kick-off is right around the corner too with seven-time NASCAR champ Jimmie Johnson joining the open-wheel racing field stacked with drivers half his age. This is shaping up to be a season like no other, and racing listeners will be tuned-in to catch every turn and every headline. 


Reach sports fans year-round across live coverage of NASCAR, IndyCar, NCAA football and basketball, as well as fantasy sports. Get in touch to learn more about packages and limited-time offers.