Nascar Used Instagram’s Shopping Sticker to Drive Its New Line of Funko Pop Figurines

Amanda Lordy, managing director of social content for the auto-racing organization, said Instagram posts with shopping stickers this year are outperforming posts with similar content and no shopping stickers from last year by an average of 65% in terms of engagement.

Nascar backed the release of its line of Funko Pop figurines in May by crafting an Instagram Story and using the Facebook-owned photo- and video-sharing network’s quiz sticker to draw in fans.

Lordy said Nascar was excited about the opportunity to team up with Funko Pop on licensed products, and its figurines include current drivers Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott and Kevin Harvick as well as legends Dale Earnhardt, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Bill Elliott, Jeff Gordon and Richard Petty.

The Instagram Story that backed the line’s release featured a trivia question created with the quiz sticker in the first frame with the second frame displaying the correct driver’s Funko Pop and its matching shopping sticker.

“It was a lightweight, engaging, unique way to integrate product that we knew people were excited about,” Lordy said.

Another social initiative Nascar uses to blend organic content with commerce opportunities is its Paint Scheme Preview.

New paint schemes, such as the patriotic designs used during the Nascar Salutes program recognizing the U.S armed forces, are featured on cars the Wednesday before each race. Fans can then purchase the die-cast models associated with those cars.

“There are a lot of great opportunities coming with it and cool new functionality,” Lordy said of Instagram’s emphasis on shopping. “We wanted to figure out how we could weave it into what we’re doing on the platform—integrating shopping in a way that’s organic and adds value while driving engagement [and] not being intrusive to the experience of our fans.”