Tobacco Sponsorship

[ptclaus98]

What effect do you think the loss of tobacco sponsorship has had on IndyCar? What do you think would happen if it was still prevalent? Would you still watch? Would you object?

[JagtechOhio]

That depends. If there are enough smokin' hot babes added, no problem. Not all butts are bad butts.

[Flyin Ryan]

Originally Posted by ptclaus98

What effect do you think the loss of tobacco sponsorship has had on IndyCar?

There's less money in the sport.

What do you think would happen if it was still prevalent?

There'd be more money in the sport and it'd be a little healthier with more sponsors.

Would you still watch?

Yes.

Would you object?

Why would I? I watched tobacco sponsors left and right in all forms of auto racing growing up and it's not like seeing Marlboro or Rothmans or Winston or Kool on the side of a racecar ever made me buy a cigarette.

[mountainstar]

The irl has much bigger issues than loss of tobacco sponsorship. Had not you had the dumb tobacco settlement and other gubment interference, considering the state of the sport I think most companies would have moved onto another sport anyways. They can get better value elsewhere.

I personally cannot stand cigarettes and smoking, but I say smoke em if you got em, just as long as you are not blowing smoke in my face or smoking them in my personal space and as long as you pay all your own medical bills and are not looking for a handout. I'm all for tobacco sponsorship and I believe the government coercion and lawyering is restricting the right to free speech.

[wnut]

There would be a lot more money in motorsport.
I believe the governance would be better as the sport would not be being held to ransom by the likes of Honda.
The cigarette companies would also demand that the racing was actually entertaining in return for their dollar.

Not having cigarette sponsorship has done massive damage to motor racing!

[ptclaus98]

Originally Posted by mountainstar

The irl has much bigger issues than loss of tobacco sponsorship. Had not you had the dumb tobacco settlement and other gubment interference, considering the state of the sport I think most companies would have moved onto another sport anyways. They can get better value elsewhere.

I personally cannot stand cigarettes and smoking, but I say smoke em if you got em, just as long as you are not blowing smoke in my face or smoking them in my personal space and as long as you pay all your own medical bills and are not looking for a handout. I'm all for tobacco sponsorship and I believe the government coercion and lawyering is restricting the right to free speech.

This assumes that they didn't have the money to cover whatever the hell they wanted to. They dumped billions into motorsport alone. F1, Sportscars, NASCAR, Rally, Bikes. They had plenty to go around, and now they've spent the last two to five years not spending any money on advertising, but still selling their product.


Paris, eh? What happened to Dushanbe?

[wnut]

Originally Posted by ptclaus98

They dumped billions into motorsport alone. F1, Sportscars, NASCAR, Rally, Bikes. They had plenty to go around, and now they've spent the last two to five years not spending any money on advertising, but still selling their product.


Paris, eh? What happened to Dushanbe?

Not having billions of dollars as you say, will damage anything, and the quality of racing and development has gone to hell along with the billions!

Not having cigarette sponsorship has also damaged the media industries massively, as seen by the woeful state of reporting! Gone to hell.

Paris, eh? What happened to Dushanbe? ??????!!! What the......

[mountainstar]

Originally Posted by ptclaus98

This assumes that they didn't have the money to cover whatever the hell they wanted to. They dumped billions into motorsport alone. F1, Sportscars, NASCAR, Rally, Bikes. They had plenty to go around, and now they've spent the last two to five years not spending any money on advertising, but still selling their product.

Tobacco companies were no different than any other sponsor. They want that return on investment like anyone else. Once they ceased to realize an effective return, they would be out and tobacco companies shifted marketing strategy all the time.

[JagtechOhio]

from Advertising Age, August 24:

"...last month alone Nissan decided to add $100 million to its national marketing budget."

"During last year's recession, the automaker slashed its domestic ad budget 42% to $690 million..."

There is plenty of money out there, and it doesn't require an investment from the tobacco industry to prop up IndyCar.

It requires an IndyCar Series that is valuable enough to attract investment. For 20% of Nissan's marketing budget from last month alone, an entire engine program for IndyCar could have been funded.

That shows how small an investment the auto manufacturers are being solicited to make, and how little they think of the idea.

[Belatti]

The thing that I miss from Tobacco sponsorship is that the cars looked beautiful in Marlboro´s red+white. I also liked the JPS and Rothmans colors (not Indy, I know).

Regarding everything else I agree with Flyin Ryan and JagTech

[JagtechOhio]

Belatti, totally agreed about every one of the liveries you mentioned.

The JPS cars always looked elegant and menacing at the same time, in my opinion.

[ptclaus98]

I liked the Lucky Strike cars. Especially toward the end.

[fasteric]

1970 tobacco advertising was banned from TV..big sponsorship money went in racing (also tennis,etc) as a back door onto TV...nobody does sports marketing/promotion like the beer and tobacco guys..the closest are the energy drinks. When Bud and Miller (Sam Adams?) are back on an Indy Car then the series will be healthy.

[GTRMagic]

Budweister & Miller arent big dollar sponsors are they? Their marketing machine would be good to have in the series to leverage their involvement across a wider market, a team relying on either of these guys as a financial saviour may be disappointed

[fasteric]

thats the point..they run a marketing budget over $500 m ..if they want to support a series or a team..its just not just a buy to support for 4-5 millions ..its ads ..its a driver they like ..buy the TV time ..make a funny ad..support on track ads, etc..Bud got burned by JR changing teams ..now it seems Kasey changing teams has put them in a stich..there with harvick and childress in nascar..they want a long campaign..the same thing in Indy Car,,the sponsors want a long term deal..that u will be here tomorrow..u see it with will power and verizon..what ever price of new cars the budget of 2-3 millions is nothing if u dont have a long term deal..the tv is ok..versus will be merged with nbc and who knows..espn started with racing when they didnt have anything else..racing is always a niche sport..keep the fans happy and the racing has been good

[ptclaus98]

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

Budweister & Miller arent big dollar sponsors are they? Their marketing machine would be good to have in the series to leverage their involvement across a wider market, a team relying on either of these guys as a financial saviour may be disappointed

Have you been to America, bromigo? They're about as big as they come.





I wanna see a Natty Ice IndyCar.

[ptclaus98]

Originally Posted by mountainstar

Tobacco companies were no different than any other sponsor. They want that return on investment like anyone else. Once they ceased to realize an effective return, they would be out and tobacco companies shifted marketing strategy all the time.

You move pretty quick. Montgomery, eh. Haven't been there in a while.

[gttouring]

With a Nissan like budget of 690 million dollars it is a woner there is not more cars sold. Cleverly Toyota uses marketing budget to run the NASCAR trucks racing program . But when is the amount used directly for adverts not returning the investment? Might as well use some cash even a tenth of that to support racing and create an image for buyers and a history for future generations to have as well. But I am not runnings these departments yet so the auotmanfactures and then racing will have to suffer