Track car for marketing
Discussion
So we manufacture products that go into the classic car/mechanics market and we're been talking about sponsorship of a race team really to create content for the social media pages and then to go along with our printed catalogues and be used for trade shows etc.
I am thinking that for the cost of one year sponsoring a BSB team (I dont mean a full sponsorship just some stickers on the bike and overalls etc) I can buy a small car something like a Clio 200 and have it professionally wrapped to look like a race car and then over time as parts fail or need replacement due to wear and tear we can start to add higher quality parts such as racing brakes, tyres (appreciate these wont last long!) etc.
Would also like to kit it out with a cage and strip the interior. It would be great fun and as well as something that would be used to market the business at trade shows and also at car events and track days.
Would be great to hear peoples thoughts.
I am thinking that for the cost of one year sponsoring a BSB team (I dont mean a full sponsorship just some stickers on the bike and overalls etc) I can buy a small car something like a Clio 200 and have it professionally wrapped to look like a race car and then over time as parts fail or need replacement due to wear and tear we can start to add higher quality parts such as racing brakes, tyres (appreciate these wont last long!) etc.
Would also like to kit it out with a cage and strip the interior. It would be great fun and as well as something that would be used to market the business at trade shows and also at car events and track days.
Would be great to hear peoples thoughts.
I'm no marketing guru but I think you need to survey your current customers to see where their interests lie.
For instance unless your target customer group is interested in Clio racing there seems little point in spending out money doing as you suggest. Also unless you're looking to break into the classic motorcycle market, and some of your potential customers come from the BSB audience there seems little point in going down that route either.
A wise spend, to get the best bang for your buck would be an historic racer of some sort. Either a mock up such as you suggest for the Clio or find an historic racer who you can work with and sponsor their car in a relevant series.
Or perhaps (I don't know your budget) you could look at sponsoring a race rather than a car?
For instance unless your target customer group is interested in Clio racing there seems little point in spending out money doing as you suggest. Also unless you're looking to break into the classic motorcycle market, and some of your potential customers come from the BSB audience there seems little point in going down that route either.
A wise spend, to get the best bang for your buck would be an historic racer of some sort. Either a mock up such as you suggest for the Clio or find an historic racer who you can work with and sponsor their car in a relevant series.
Or perhaps (I don't know your budget) you could look at sponsoring a race rather than a car?
Currently working up two strategies for motor-racing sponsorship (one domestic, one international) and did Motor Sports Sponsorship as part of my Marketing Degree. A couple of quickies....
If you're selling into the Classic Car market, don't sponsor bikes.
Your reason of thinking is sound; creating a presence that you can capitalise on via other channels. This is a basic cornerstone of all sponsorship....no body just goes off and buys something having seen the logo on the side of a racing car.
Buying a track car and sticking your logos on it will be fun. But it will be ineffective as a sales tool. Also to consider that sponsorship of a race team is a viable marketing expense in the eyes of HMRC. Doing track days isn't, regardless of the presence of your logos.
Think about the people that buy your products. For example; just because they are mechanics doesn't necessarily make them car nuts and thus not motivated towards your brand if you sponsor something. Do a bit of research and find out what they like doing. Its may be that sponsoring a low league or local football team is more effective.
Most importantly, de-couple your enthusiasm for racing from sound business decisions. What margin do you average? If, for the sake of simplicity, it's 50% then you have to think that if you spend £10k on sponsorship; that will need to generate £30k of additional business to justify the investment (on the basis of you needing to make more compared to other marketing activities).
Are any of your competitors sponsoring at the moment? If they are, that may demonstrate that it works......but you will need to invest to attain at least the same level of visibility otherwise, it will be difficult to make work.
HTH
If you're selling into the Classic Car market, don't sponsor bikes.
Your reason of thinking is sound; creating a presence that you can capitalise on via other channels. This is a basic cornerstone of all sponsorship....no body just goes off and buys something having seen the logo on the side of a racing car.
Buying a track car and sticking your logos on it will be fun. But it will be ineffective as a sales tool. Also to consider that sponsorship of a race team is a viable marketing expense in the eyes of HMRC. Doing track days isn't, regardless of the presence of your logos.
Think about the people that buy your products. For example; just because they are mechanics doesn't necessarily make them car nuts and thus not motivated towards your brand if you sponsor something. Do a bit of research and find out what they like doing. Its may be that sponsoring a low league or local football team is more effective.
Most importantly, de-couple your enthusiasm for racing from sound business decisions. What margin do you average? If, for the sake of simplicity, it's 50% then you have to think that if you spend £10k on sponsorship; that will need to generate £30k of additional business to justify the investment (on the basis of you needing to make more compared to other marketing activities).
Are any of your competitors sponsoring at the moment? If they are, that may demonstrate that it works......but you will need to invest to attain at least the same level of visibility otherwise, it will be difficult to make work.
HTH
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