Another Viewpoint Archives
Debbi Willis, Daw613@bigfoot.com
Fans First
Disappointment is disheartening, and being disheartened leads to
disenchantment. With the rise in popularity of Nascar over the past few
years, the demands on drivers have equally risen at an distressing rate.
Why, might you ask, is that distressing? Because eventually a drivers
demanding schedule of committments may cause him to disappoint his fans,
especially if he forgets that the fans come first. Kyle Petty has said that
his father became the "King" because he always respected his fans, they could
make or break a driver, and in return, Kyle noted, the fans labeled
Richard, the "King" because he always had time for them first.
Disappointing a fan most often occurs through misunderstanding and
miscommunications by everyone involved. The owner of the team usually
commits the driver to the sponsor's schedule of appearances in exchange for
valuable sponsorship money. The sponsor schedules mega appearances for the
driver, using the driver's popularity and market appeal to promote their
products and get their name well-known to the general public. [It's no
secret that a sponsor may control a drivers career. Ernie Irvan's situation
proved that with Yates.] The fans see the promotions, make the plans and
excitedly look forward to seeing and possibly getting an autograph from their
favorite driver.
Not being a new event in any sport, fans are the key ingredient to superstars
in others sports as well. The problem occurs when the driver is exhausted,
worn out and over-booked for appearances so that he is literally on the run
and clock- watching. Of course, some drivers have perfected incredibly tight
schedules in an effort to get the most market share they can, and casually
brush off conflicts with their boyish charms. Fans won't tolerate that for
long, though. Eventually, even the charm won't excuse a driver disappointing
his fans or prevent a tarnished reputation.
Word of mouth is the best marketing tool! When a driver values the fans, the
fans value the driver through thick and thin, success and failure and all
kinds of drought seasons. Bill Elliott has not had a great season for some
time now, yet he is undeniably one of the most popular drivers of all time
with the fans. Many drivers have enjoyed tremendous success and records only
to hit the biggest slumps of their careers and yet fans stand by them
faithfully. Fans will promote the driver to friends, family and anyone
who'll listen. Fans wear the gear, post the # on vehicles, toolboxes and
desk areas, and buy the products that sponsor the driver. Thus the importance
of sponsorship, and that's what sponsors count on! Nascar has a commerical
about all the things Nascar is... but, in the end, even Nascar says it's the
fans! The state of Florida used to say a day without orange juice was like
a day without sunshine! Now, imagine what Nascar would be like without fans?
Not a pretty picture at all!
The worst disappointments to happen though are to the children. Every driver
should make every effort to always satisfy the requests of the children who
reach out to get an autograph. A child's innocence and faithfulness in their
"hero" should be preserved as long as possible. Unfortunately, incidents
have happened that tarnish a drivers reputation forever, such as those times
noted by many fans that Jeff Gordon's schedule has not allowed him to be fan
friendly, or that he limited the number of autographs per fan to one when a
little girl asked for two. Like the old saying goes, it's not always what
you do that is remembered most but what you DIDN'T do moreso! Yet, then I
read of Dale Jarrett making a huge impression on a father who watches his son
approach DJ for his autograph and is getting squeezed out by the adults also
clamoring and DJ parts the adults to make way for the child. Pretty darn
good PR that just comes naturally to a true gentleman racer. A multitude of
stories prevail about these kind of drivers who put the fans first, equally
so, one bad incident will override a million good ones for any driver.
So, the marketing strategies have worked. Nascar is a major household name
that even non-racing fan folks recognize! Nascar is family oriented, still
value packed for the most part, multigenerational and crossing all gender
lines. Yet, sponsors and the media crave more. Perhaps, Nascar will begin
to control their appetite and remember what the King and many other great
drivers know best: the fans come first!
Another Viewpoint Home
Fans First
Disappointment is disheartening, and being disheartened leads to disenchantment. With the rise in popularity of Nascar over the past few years, the demands on drivers have equally risen at an distressing rate. Why, might you ask, is that distressing? Because eventually a drivers demanding schedule of committments may cause him to disappoint his fans, especially if he forgets that the fans come first. Kyle Petty has said that his father became the "King" because he always respected his fans, they could make or break a driver, and in return, Kyle noted, the fans labeled Richard, the "King" because he always had time for them first.
Disappointing a fan most often occurs through misunderstanding and miscommunications by everyone involved. The owner of the team usually commits the driver to the sponsor's schedule of appearances in exchange for valuable sponsorship money. The sponsor schedules mega appearances for the driver, using the driver's popularity and market appeal to promote their products and get their name well-known to the general public. [It's no secret that a sponsor may control a drivers career. Ernie Irvan's situation proved that with Yates.] The fans see the promotions, make the plans and excitedly look forward to seeing and possibly getting an autograph from their favorite driver.
Not being a new event in any sport, fans are the key ingredient to superstars in others sports as well. The problem occurs when the driver is exhausted, worn out and over-booked for appearances so that he is literally on the run and clock- watching. Of course, some drivers have perfected incredibly tight schedules in an effort to get the most market share they can, and casually brush off conflicts with their boyish charms. Fans won't tolerate that for long, though. Eventually, even the charm won't excuse a driver disappointing his fans or prevent a tarnished reputation.
Word of mouth is the best marketing tool! When a driver values the fans, the fans value the driver through thick and thin, success and failure and all kinds of drought seasons. Bill Elliott has not had a great season for some time now, yet he is undeniably one of the most popular drivers of all time with the fans. Many drivers have enjoyed tremendous success and records only to hit the biggest slumps of their careers and yet fans stand by them faithfully. Fans will promote the driver to friends, family and anyone who'll listen. Fans wear the gear, post the # on vehicles, toolboxes and desk areas, and buy the products that sponsor the driver. Thus the importance of sponsorship, and that's what sponsors count on! Nascar has a commerical about all the things Nascar is... but, in the end, even Nascar says it's the fans! The state of Florida used to say a day without orange juice was like a day without sunshine! Now, imagine what Nascar would be like without fans? Not a pretty picture at all!
The worst disappointments to happen though are to the children. Every driver should make every effort to always satisfy the requests of the children who reach out to get an autograph. A child's innocence and faithfulness in their "hero" should be preserved as long as possible. Unfortunately, incidents have happened that tarnish a drivers reputation forever, such as those times noted by many fans that Jeff Gordon's schedule has not allowed him to be fan friendly, or that he limited the number of autographs per fan to one when a little girl asked for two. Like the old saying goes, it's not always what you do that is remembered most but what you DIDN'T do moreso! Yet, then I read of Dale Jarrett making a huge impression on a father who watches his son approach DJ for his autograph and is getting squeezed out by the adults also clamoring and DJ parts the adults to make way for the child. Pretty darn good PR that just comes naturally to a true gentleman racer. A multitude of stories prevail about these kind of drivers who put the fans first, equally so, one bad incident will override a million good ones for any driver.
So, the marketing strategies have worked. Nascar is a major household name that even non-racing fan folks recognize! Nascar is family oriented, still value packed for the most part, multigenerational and crossing all gender lines. Yet, sponsors and the media crave more. Perhaps, Nascar will begin to control their appetite and remember what the King and many other great drivers know best: the fans come first!
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