By Hilary Parker

ATLANTA — Last week, in the first part of this series on sports marketing, Cheese Market News explored the natural connection between sports and dairy, highlighting how dairy manufacturers and marketers can take advantage of that link to boost sales. This week, we explore the fastest track to sports sponsorship, one that is growing so fast that, like the sport itself, you have to see it to believe it: NASCAR.

• Cheese and crashes

If a company is interested in sports marketing, then it’s interested in motorsports, marketing experts say.

Notably, the nation’s 75 million NASCAR fans “far and away” request brands by circuit sponsors, says Howard Schlossberg, professor of journalism at Chicago’s Columbia College. According to Bill Catania, account manager, Bensur Creative Marketing Group, Erie, Pa., a startling 72 percent of NASCAR fans indicate they actively purchase racing sponsors’ products over those of non-sponsors (the average of all other sports being 34 percent).

Catania is in a good place to help the dairy industry get to know motorsports, as he has both a background in racing and food marketing. At age 17, he built and began racing his own stock car. When he wasn’t racing, he served as a national vice president of Future Farmers of America and became a Food Marketing Fellow at Cornell University. There’s even a dairy connection: His wife milks Jersey cows.

Catania says NASCAR is the fastest-growing spectator sport in the United States, and even non-automotive-related sponsors enjoy a huge return on investment. Interestingly, it has the longest season in professional sports as well. The spectator profile looks like this: average income — $45,000; average age — 36; gender — 62 percent male, 38 percent female; 41 percent attend college; 68 percent are married and 38 percent have children.

“Boasting over 215 million TV viewers and over 7 million fans attending events annually, the Nextel Cup Series is the apple of corporate America’s eye,” Catania adds.

He recently worked with Dean Foods Co., Dallas, to get its Skinny Cow Milk on the fast track to racing sponsorship. The Skinny Cow Milk BMW M3 entered the Grand Am Cup at the Daytona International Speedway in January.

“We understand the power of motorsports marketing, and look forward to delivering a marketing program with (driver Matt Mullins) through the Grand Am Cup series that will add value to our retail customers,” Tom Murrin, vice president of private label sales for Dean Foods, said in January.

The company also was able to make Skinny Cow Milk available to roughly 1,000 race team members, owners and guests at the race, and the product was “received very well,” Catania says.

Catania says opportunities abound for dairy companies in motorsports.

“I haven’t really seen the presence of the dairy industry that we should see,” he notes, adding that motorsports sponsorships can be “very affordable.”

And a company doesn’t have to sponsor an entire team to get the benefit of a motorsports partnership. Just ask Natale Caputo, president, Wiscon Corp., Melrose Park, Ill. Wiscon sponsors 14-year-old national professional motorsports driver Timmy Megenbier. The Caputo logo appears prominently on the car of this young driver, one of a few who have been cleared to race national events at such a young age.

“Sponsoring Timmy has been a great marketing vehicle for our Caputo brand cheese,” Caputo says. “Racing, being an international sport, gives Wiscon the opportunity to gain worldwide exposure and increase brand awareness. Also, Timmy is from Melrose Park, so it’s nice to help out a local talent.”

CMN