Promo moves products, race tickets

ran in the Brookshire’s chain in the spring. NASCAR ran a smaller version of the promotion last fall as a test run, but this year’s program saw a 10 percent boost in sweepstakes entries (215,000 shoppers entered) and a 50 percent increase in tickets sold to the Texas Motor Speedway race. The increases were attributed to the point-of-sale material being doubled in each of the stores, which led to greater visibility for the products in the promotion. Brookshire’s also doubled the number of prizes awarded to store managers as part of a contest for the best displays. Bulldawg Marketing, a retail sports marketing agency based in Mooresville, N.C., ran the program for NASCAR. The participating companies, all NASCAR official partners, represent dozens of brands and they’re expected to combine forces again in the fall for another promotion leading up to the November race at Texas. Additional prizes will include VIP trips to Las Vegas for Champion’s Week in December. While NASCAR has found a retail model that works for its Texas races, it is seeking additional regional and national grocers to partner on similar programs. “We can help our partners by giving them a point of differentiation at retail,” said Matt Shulman, NASCAR’s director of business solutions. “These are incremental sales that are helping companies cover the costs of being an official partner. We have more CPG partners than any other league and that gives us the mass to put together programs like this.” Many of the Brookshire’s displays were set up in the lobby or near the entrance at 124 different locations, while others were at the end of aisles. More signage referring to “Rev Up” was placed throughout the store near the participating brands. Each company paid between $15,000 and $25,000 to be in the promotion, which covered the point-of-sale materials, sweepstakes prizes and other fees. “What they’re able to do is grab the attention of the shopper coming in,” said Ben Reiling, Coca-Cola’s director of motorsports marketing. “It drives activity and that brings extra value back to NASCAR’s official partners.” To encourage its stores to play along, Brookshire’s created an internal prize package for the best displays. A $1,000 prize went to the district manager with the winning display, while other prizes and incentives were used to motivate store managers. Ninety-five percent of all Brookshire’s stores entered displays in the contest, the highest participation rate the grocery has had on a promotion. Brookshire’s, which has a retail location inside Texas Motor Speedway, also used the brands and the NASCAR mark in its advertising and newspaper circulars. “Without this program, we couldn’t use the NASCAR logo and all of the store signage that comes with it,” said Rick Ellis, Brookshire’s chief marketer. “Our customers mimic the demos of NASCAR and we think we’re giving them what they want to see. It’s a big boost to be able to tie in with NASCAR and we see increases in the number of cases moving through the system. That’s really what it’s all about.”