Decades-Long Partnership Amplified Through Integrated Marketing Campaigns And Innovative Activations That Go Beyond The Track
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Nov. 26, 2012) – Mars, Incorporated will be honored with the 2012 NASCAR Marketing Achievement Award at the NASCAR NMPA Myers Brothers Awards held at Encore at Wynn Las Vegas on Thursday, November 29. Throughout its 23-year partnership, Mars has directly engaged race fans, customers and associates through an integrated marketing strategy that spanned across multiple activations, including: intellectual property, promotions, public relations, B2B, online, broadcast, event marketing and retail. The partnership represents one of the longest standing within the sport.
“Mars’ execution of a fully integrated strategy within NASCAR exemplifies the spirit of the award and has been the catalyst to the brand’s success in the sport,” said Jim O’Connell, chief sales officer for NASCAR. “One of our longest standing partners took full advantage of its sponsorship, raising the bar with innovative ideas designed to engage our brand loyal fan base, its associates and ultimately move product off the shelf.”
In a recent study, it was revealed that Mars receives an impressive 4-to-1 return on its investment in NASCAR (measured by Mars tracking data). Additionally, its sponsorships create a fifth season of sales for the brand, which is on par with the size of the company’s Christmas selling season.
“The NASCAR sponsorship model is driven by brand loyalty and Mars has been behind the wheel of a best-in-class partnership,” said William Clements, vice president of sponsorships and sports marketing for Mars Chocolate North America. “Our successes have been led by innovation that extends to customers, consumers and associates, and capitalizes on NASCAR’s broad fan base that represents approximately one-third of the U.S. adult population. We are honored by this award and continue to see the strength and growth of our partnership with NASCAR.”
In 2012, Mars executed several integrated marketing initiatives designed to reach its three key stakeholders – customers, consumers and associates – in an effort to extend beyond the iconic M&M’S® paint scheme. The following initiatives have resulted in Mars and its family of brands becoming some of the most recognized in the sport:
§ Conducted consumer-centric promotions like the current “M&M’S® When We Win, You Could Win Sweepstakes” that energizes customers and engages fans
§ Pioneered the now popular TV panel program which places the logo of key retailers on the rear “TV panel” of the No. 18 M&M’S Toyota to drive exposure and incremental sales
§ Made race day more fun with the “Best Seats in the House” program, providing fans with the ultimate seat upgrade at select tracks in the series
§ Engaged associates with dedicated NASCAR ambassadors to celebrate the No. 18 M&M’S Toyota successes and team news
§ Hosted NASCAR Day at Mars Chocolate North America’s headquarters in Hackettstown, N.J., featuring Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) owner Joe Gibbs, Kyle Busch and the entire No. 18 M&M’S Toyota team
Each year, NASCAR recognizes an industry partner who has exemplified the spirit of NASCAR through integrated marketing campaigns for all racing fans, consumers and employees. Previous winners of the NASCAR Marketing Achievement Award include: Anheuser-Busch, Coca-Cola, ESPN, FOX/TNT/NBC, Gillette, Kmart, Nationwide Insurance, Office Depot, Sprint, The Home Depot and Toyota.
About NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for one of North America’s premier sports. NASCAR races are broadcast in more than 150 countries and in 20 languages. In the U.S., races are broadcast on FOX, TNT, ABC/ESPN/ESPN2, SPEED, MRN Radio, PRN Radio and SiriusXM Satellite Radio. NASCAR fans are among the most brand-loyal in all of sports, and as a result more Fortune 500 companies participate in NASCAR than any other sport. NASCAR consists of three national series (the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series), four regional series, and one local grassroots series, as well as three international series. Also part of NASCAR is Grand-Am Road Racing, known for its competition on road courses with multiple classes of cars. NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races at 100 tracks in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico and Europe. Based in Daytona Beach, Fla., NASCAR has offices in eight cities across North America. The next NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, the Daytona 500, will air February 24, 2013 on FOX. For more information and a complete schedule, visit www.nascar.com. Follow NASCAR on www.facebook.com/NASCAR or on Twitter: @NASCAR.
About Mars, Incorporated
In 1911, Frank C. Mars made the first Mars candies in his Tacoma, Washington kitchen and established Mars’ first roots as a confectionery company. In the 1920s, Forrest E. Mars, Sr. joined his father in business and together they launched the MILKY WAY® bar. In 1932, Forrest, Sr. moved to the United Kingdom with a dream of building a business based on the objective of creating a “mutuality of benefits for all stakeholders” – this objective serves as the foundation of Mars, Incorporated today. Based in McLean, Virginia, Mars has net sales of more than $30 billion, six business segments including Petcare, Chocolate, Wrigley, Food, Drinks, Symbioscience, and more than 70,000 Associates worldwide that are putting its Principles into action to make a difference for people and the planet through its performance.
Mars brands include: Petcare – PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®, WHISKAS®, KITEKAT®, BANFIELD® Pet Hospital and NUTRO®; Chocolate – M&M’S®, SNICKERS®, DOVE®, GALAXY®, MARS®, MILKY WAY® and TWIX®; Wrigley – DOUBLEMINT®, EXTRA®, ORBIT® and 5™ chewing gums, SKITTLES® and STARBURST® candies, and ALTOIDS® AND LIFESAVERS® mints. Food – UNCLE BEN’S®, DOLMIO®, EBLY®, MASTERFOODS®, SEEDS OF CHANGE® and ROYCO®; Drinks – ALTERRA COFFEE ROASTERS™, THE BRIGHT TEA COMPANY™, KLIX® and FLAVIA®; Symbioscience – COCOAVIA, WISDOM PANEL™ and SERAMIS®.
For more information, please visit www.mars.com. Follow us: facebook.com/mars, youtube.com/mars twitter.com/marsglobal.
