Marketing in Motorsports: Know YOUR Fan

To the naive, motorsports, their fan bases, and in turn their respective preferences are all the same...but nothing could be further from reality.

It doesn't take much time and understanding to realize that the fan demographics aren't an apple-to-apple proposition, so to speak, rather their consumer likes are as diverse as the cars themselves.

Regardless if it's open wheel, stock cars, drag, exotic or stock cars, every marketer must know their audience and cater to them as such. From the traditionally older crowds of IndyCar, NHRA, NASCAR and IMSA, to the younger trends and diverse audiences of Traxxas, F1, super cross, motocross--whether it's luxury lifestyles or blue collared brands--each series has it's own sweet spots and selling points. 

Consider the following statistics offered by SSM:

DEMOGRAPHIC     NASCAR     INDYCAR     NHRA     SUPERCROSS/MOTOCROSS  

Men                            62.4%          68.4%          72.0%         67.9%

Women                      37.6%           31.6%           28.0%         32.1%

AGE (18-29)              17.8%            16.5%          20.3%          27.6%

(30-44)                     29.7%           26.6%          30.6%          36.4%

(45-64)                      36.8%           39.0%          38.1%           28.7%

White                        87.4%             86.4%          85.3%        84.4%

African American      8.2%               8.7%            9.9%           9.7%

Asian                          2.1%               2.2%            2.1%             2.6%

Other                         2.3%               2.6%            2.7%            3.4%

Hispanic                   8.7%                9.2%           10.2%          13.3%

INCOME <$25K>    13.4%               13.0%           13.8%          13.7%

$40K-50K               11.4%                11.3%            12.0%          11.9%

$75K-100K              15.6%               15.6%            15.6%         15.4%

$100K-150K             12.4%               12.9%             11.8%         11.6%

$150K+                     7.6%                 8.2%             6.7%           7.3%

Regardless of the event, sponsors of all types know that with race fans--whose captive audience of nearly 100 million are incredibly brand loyal--their driver(s)' endorsed products and marketing partners will experience a considerable return on investment (ROI).

Despite plateauing nearly a decade ago (at least the largest conglomerate of NASCAR's audience), it's no wonder affluent B2B strategies throughout the years have, time and again, willingly given their marketing dollars to leverage their advertising, increase their public relations, enhance their hospitality, and maximize their event marketing spend. The thrilling engagement, the driver access and interaction, the memorable impressions, and the exclusive experiences are frankly unparralleled for any event activation and immersion strategy.

For a marketer in the motorsport circuit, it's a race to the finish line to cash in.