Earlier this week, Front Office Sports ran a totally informational piece on how NASCAR is “turning to VaynerMedia to help its drivers build their digital brands.”
According to the writeup, there was a standard RFP for (we assume) influencer marketing services. But Vayner’s work with AB InBev, which happens to partner with NASCAR, gave them an edge.
From MD of driver marketing Patrick Rogers:
“We were interested in bringing in a fresh set of eyes to look under the hood and help us see things maybe we weren’t seeing. Sometimes brands like ours need a different perspective to help us understand what we’re doing well, and where we should perhaps make some tweaks to our approach. VaynerMedia had a great feel for what we’re looking to accomplish and introduced some really creative ideas on how we can dial in our strategy. Plus, they have experience with our sport having done incredible work with Anheuser-Busch.”
So what will Vayner do, exactly? From the agency’s Chattanooga chief Mickey Cloud:
“[Our] core strategic offerings, combined with VaynerTalent’s experience in helping high performing people develop social & digital content, own their narrative, build an engaged following online, and leverage that digital presence for whatever business objective they may have, became the heart of our pitch.”
So they are going to help the individual drivers become more effective social influencers just like Gary. The last line is nice: “Whether it is through unique storytelling, a cohesive brand approach, or leveraging the talents VaynerMedia brings to the table, it is clear that this partnership is a win for everyone from the drivers to the brands and NASCAR itself.”
Ah yeah. And a race car driver is something like a fine wine in that we can only assume it improves with age. It probably smells kinda funky at the end of the day, too.