Playoffs?
Leveraging the NASCAR Playoffs for sales
This has been an interesting year. Is that an understatement?
I know I’ve mentioned before that we added 100 affiliates in the weeks leading up to the restart of the season at Darlington on May 17th. Even though some have resumed their baseball coverage and/or NBA and NHL coverage, we still have a large number of new stations selling NASCAR for the first time.
Even in years without a pandemic, we typically add a couple of dozen affiliates annually during the season.
And since many longstanding affiliates reading this are still feeling the effects of the COVID-19 response in their local markets, they may also benefit from the advice I give to stations that come aboard mid-season:
Use the NASCAR playoffs to drive sales for the next season!
We are three races from the playoffs, and in a normal year that would mean you’d have about a month to push a package for the NASCAR Playoffs. But since this weekend we are making up the Dover spring NASCAR Cup Series race married with their late summer/early fall race date, there are less than three weeks to execute.
These are ways to creatively lock in sales for 2021 by using the urgency of the 2020 playoffs:
1) Introduce New Clients During The Best Time of the Year…The Playoffs
The intensity builds during the final 10 races of the year because of the knockout, must-win format of the NASCAR playoff system. So, turn it into a game. Have them choose a driver, or team, or manufacturer, and every time they win the new client gets bonus spots or some other incentive that you think will push their hot button.
2) Buy Now, Save Later
Incentivize the purchase by locking in their playoffs “introductory rate” for next season as well. I know it’s very hard to get clients to look at annual programs let alone a 16 or 17-month commitment. How about deferring the decision for 2021 until a predetermined date prior to the end of the season? “Buy now for the playoffs Mr. Advertiser and lock in this rate for 2021 if you make your decision on next season by October 31st.”
3) Target Advertisers that Sponsor Drivers at the Top of the Standings
Sure, Anheuser-Busch is getting TV coverage on a national level by sponsoring Kevin Harvick with their new limited release Busch Light Apple, but that isn’t directly telling your listeners where to find your local AB distributor’s top accounts. For that same reason, here are other brands to consider pitching: NAPA, Pepsi Co., Miller-Coors, Jimmy Johns, Snap-On, Discount Tire, Menards, Advance Auto Parts, Interstate Batteries, Bass Pro Shops, and others. If there are no local ties to those specific brands, seek out local ties to the advertising category they represent. You can find a driver sponsor list at Jayski.com, just cross-reference it with the NASCAR standings to find the most likely drivers to make the playoffs.
When developing these packages remember these keys to success:
1) Price to what your market will bear.
2) Include commercials in race coverage and outside of race coverage, sponsorships of MRN shoulder programs you may air like NASCAR TODAY, sponsor mentions in recorded and live promotional announcements, inclusion on your website and or social media and streaming programs.
3) Dedicate the weekday inventory that you feel comfortable with. And use dayparts that won’t put stress on inventory not dedicated to this package. Remember, political season is just heating up. Air these weekday commercials 6a-7p, 6a-midnight, around the clock, or frontload at the beginning of the week, use whatever is necessary to make it work for you.
The most important part - make it impossible for them not to buy. Bring the value, explain why their customers match up with NASCAR fans, and then price it so it’s a no-brainer. Under-promise and over-deliver. Super serve your client and make it work, so when decision time comes for 2021 you can lock them in for next season.
Happy Selling!
Bob Quick - Manager, Radio Partnerships - Sales
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