With the Canadian auto racing season just around the corner, a couple of players have teamed up with new advertising partners.
Stock-Car Montreal, part of the NASCAR Nationwide Series, has appointed Tank agency of Montreal to handle marketing and advertising for the second edition of the NAPA Auto Parts 200, taking place Aug. 1-2 at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, home of the Formula One Canadian Grand Prix.
Tank will create the ad campaign, website, corporate hospitality sales brochure, admission passes and all other promotional material related to the event, the only Canadian stop on the circuit.
No budget was disclosed, but it is sizeable considering it is only a weekend event, says Normand Prieur, vice-president of communications for Stock-Car Montreal, part of the GMI Group of Montreal.
In addition to the Nationwide race on Saturday afternoon, Tank will also handle advertising for the NASCAR Canadian Tire race on Saturday morning and the Grand American Rolex Series race on Friday.
The marketing for last year’s inaugural event was handled in-house, but Prieur decided to go outside this year because of the heavy workload involved. “We also wanted to get some fresh ideas, and a good chunk of the budget involves visual material and someone recommended Tank to us, so there were no pitches from other agencies.”
The event shouldn’t be a hard sell, given the city’s penchant for speed. Last year saw 129,473 fans attend the two-day race, with tickets ranging between $40 for general admission and $165 for a two-day pass.
Meanwhile, Barrie Speedway will work with Endeavour Marketing to develop sponsorship activities for the 2008 summer season that includes the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, the Ontario Sportsman Series and the TQ Midget Championship.
