Earnhardt Drives Nationwide Marketing Effort
NASCAR star Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is the featured celebrity in Nationwide Insurance marketing campaign that starts with TV spots to debut during next month’s Daytona 500 race.
Behind-the-scenes footage from those ads already has a viral presence online through a micro-site where family snapshots will also be available. Plans are also in the works to feature video on Flickr and other video Web sites.
Earnhardt will also appear in radio ads and will make personal appearances for the company as part of a marketing partnership with Earnhardt and his JR Motorsports team.
It was the combination of Earnhardt’s popularity and his family’s relationship with Nationwide that sealed the deal.
“Not only does the Earnhardt family have a 30-year history with Nationwide, the Earnhardt family is the biggest name in racing,” said Steven Schreibman, Nationwide vice president of brand management and advertising. “When we saw this as a testimonial opportunity, it was a no-brainer.”
Both TV spots were shot in Earnhardt’s JR Motorsports garage, and depict the drivers talking about his relationship with Nationwide and his disparate responsibilities as a NASCAR team head, driver and entrepreneur. The ads will run during televised NASCAR events throughout the upcoming season.
As a companion to the Earnhardt initiative, Nationwide will have a track presence on the NASCAR circuit with a mobile 7,000-square foot display and a show car. The interactive display provides information on its products and enables visitors to hook up with a Nationwide agent.
Nationwide also sponsors a ‘Driver Pick’ Em’ weekly contest. Fans can pick winners of 10 head-to-head match-ups for each NASCAR Nationwide Series races for weekly and season-long cash prizes.
