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Coors Light NASCAR Deal on Tap |
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Wednesday, 26 September 2007 |
Coors Light has announced a $20 million deal over five years to become the official beer of NASCAR starting in January.
Coors replaces Anheuser-Busch as the official sponsor. The new deal includes renaming the Bud Pole Award to the Coors Light Pole Award.
For Coors, the NASCAR deal also replaces its sponsorship of the No.40 Dodge in the Nextel Cup Series.
"Our deal was up with those guys, and this opportunity came up," says Andy England, chief marketer for Coors. "It feels like we are elevating our game."
For consumer product marketers, a league deal opens up greater opportunity for strong retail display -- especially in and around cities where races occur.
"We'll follow the tour," England says. "This gives us great exposure in the 50 miles around the track. It means no matter who wins on the track, we win every week in stores."
Budweiser has been the official beer of NASCAR since 1998. It also has sponsored Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s No.8 since he entered the Cup series in 1999. The beer will remain in the top series next year as the sponsor of Kasey Kahne's No.9 Dodge.
NASCAR still is looking for a title sponsor for its second-tier series, which Busch has sponsored since 1984.
(c) USA TODAY |
