What goes with NASCAR?
If I had to list the things that are natural fits with NASCAR, I'd have to go with:
1. Beer
2. Chips
3. Tires
4. Spark plugs
5. Beer
6. Auto parts
7. Martinsville hot dogs
8. Beer
... and I could probably go on.
But ice cream bars? Eh, not so much. When you put NASCAR and ice cream bars together, my first thought is, More trash in the grill of the cars. Which is ironic, I suppose, because the press release I got is from one of Ray Evernham's new Busch sponsors, and the Dodge nose picks up more trash than a community service weekender on the side of I-40.
After the jump, one of the more, ah, enthusiastic, press releases I've seen in a while. (I've changed the name of the company -- they're paying Ray Evernham, not me -- but you can probably figure it out yourself.)
ICE CREAM BAR Becomes First Ice Cream Brand to Sponsor NASCAR Busch Racing Series
2007 NASCAR Sponsorship Marks the Brand’s Biggest Activation Effort to Date
Green Bay, WI (February 15, 2007) — Get ready for ICE CREAM BAR to burn rubber as this beloved brand becomes a proud sponsor of the NASCAR Busch Racing Series!
Poised as the largest activation in the history of the brand, ICE CREAM BAR will join Unilever’s multi-brand sponsorship and become one of the official sponsors of Evernham Motorsports’ #9 Ultimate Chargers™ Dodge during the 2007 Busch Series season. Evernham NEXTEL Cup standout drivers Kasey Kahne, Scott Riggs and Elliott Sadler will be behind the wheel. Race fans should get ready for the feeding frenzy as the ICE CREAM BAR logo decal is featured on the hood of the #9 Dodge for the October Race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway and displayed on the side of the car for the remaining 22 races.
"It’s a natural fit for ICE CREAM BAR to share the stage with NASCAR," says Julio Del Cioppo, Director of Popsicle, ICE CREAM BAR and Good Humor. "Our partnership with Evernham Motorsports, one of the hottest teams in NASCAR, will enable us to reach out to our target audience in a new and exciting way. We look forward to the start of the 2007 Busch series season and we’re proud to be associated with such a respected and talented team as the Ultimate Chargers."
Race enthusiasts and consumers will reap the benefits of the ICE CREAM BAR/NASCAR partnership via:
* The launch of several NASCAR-licensed products in early 2007, including a "NASCAR Bar" that features Kasey Kahne on the package and delivers an indulgent ice cream experience
* An exciting ICE CREAM BAR on-pack sweepstakes that provides consumers the chance to win a grand prize trip to Daytona International Speedway in 2008 (estimated retail value $15, 525), plus many other NASCAR memorabilia prize
* ICE CREAM BAR trackside activation and sampling at many NASCAR tracks throughout 2007
* NASCAR-themed television advertising that rounds out an integrated advertising and promotional plan
About ICE CREAM BAR
The ICE CREAM BAR Original Bar was handmade in the early 1900s by dipping square slices of ice cream into pans of rich, delicious milk chocolate. Until the 1970s, the ICE CREAM BAR Bar was sold only in Pennsylvania and Ohio. In 1978, distribution expanded into Florida, followed by New York and New England. Today, millions of Americans have come to love the ICE CREAM BAR Bar’s delicious variety of frozen novelty products with the distinctive polar bear" logo and foil wrapper, and the "What would you do for a ICE CREAM BAR Bar?" advertising has become commonly referenced in American culture. ICE CREAM BAR is the number one ice cream novelty brand in the U.S. [ACNielsen ScanTrack Dollar Volume YTD ending 11/4/06]
About Unilever Ice Cream
Unilever North American Ice Cream, headquartered in Green Bay, Wis., is the largest manufacturer and marketer of branded packaged ice cream and frozen novelties in the United States, where the company operates nine manufacturing facilities and employs approximately 3,400 people. Its well-known brands include Breyers® Ice Cream, Ben & Jerry’s®, Popsicle®, Good Humor®, and ICE CREAM BAR.
Comments (1)
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...as well as .....Mom, trucks, prison/jail..... and on she goes.
Posted on February 15, 2007 4:41 PM