Coca-Cola, Goodyear Among Top Earners at Daytona 500
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It was a picture-perfect setting in Daytona Beach, Florida, when the green flag waved to signal the start of the 2022 Daytona 500 last month. What ensued was a field of 40 cars in pursuit of stock car racing’s grandest prize – the Harley J. Earl Trophy – speeding 500 miles around Daytona International Speedway in front of more than 100,000 fans in attendance and another 8.85 million watching on FOX. The race featured exhilarating passes, nerve-wracking wrecks, and a closing sprint that earned Austin Cindric his first career NASCAR victory. But as the drivers were jockeying for position, brands and partners were making an impression on television viewers as well as fans following the event on social media. We used MVP’s broadcast and social platforms to provide an omnichannel glimpse into The Great American Race and how much value it drives for NASCAR and its teams.
Fans watching this year’s Daytona 500 on television were served several refills of the sport’s official fan refreshment partner, Coca-Cola. The soft drink company’s branding was visible via race graphics, on FOX’s broadcast table, and during commercials throughout the event. In total, Coca-Cola received $4.14M worth of brand value from the broadcast. But it wasn’t the only NASCAR partner to generate millions of dollars’ worth of value from television coverage. Toyota finished second among all brands in terms of broadcast value, earning $3.92M thanks to 75 minutes and 14 seconds worth of exposure. The automobile manufacturer was followed closely by rival Chevrolet in third, with $2.86M worth of broadcast brand value, and Goodyear, NASCAR’s official tire company, with $2.25M. Rounding out the top five was Busch Light, one of NASCAR’s premier partners, which received $2.02M in brand value on television. The sport’s other premier partners, Geico and xfinity, finished eighth and 37th, respectively, in our broadcast brand value rankings.
Among all brands receiving value during the Daytona 500 on social media, each of the top two were tire manufacturers. Goodyear, which finished fourth in broadcast value, earned the pole position on social media with $100.9K worth of value generated from 537 posts across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. But hot on its heels was Discount Tire, the sponsor of race winner Austin Cindric’s No. 2 Ford Mustang. Discount Tire was featured in only 116 posts from February 17-22, but still earned $89.5K worth of brand value – an average of $772 per post. The official fuel of NASCAR, Sunoco, as well as NAPA Auto Parts and M&M’s also all earned more than $50K in social brand value from the race.
MVP’s social platform also revealed the brands that earned the highest average post value. Despite finishing just outside the top ten in total brand value, Credit One Bank had the highest post average at $1,864. Among the reasons for its success was a graphic logo shown during the race’s broadcast. Clips of the race were posted to the official accounts for NASCAR and NASCAR on FOX, boosting Credit One’s social value. Also exceeding $1,500 in average brand value per post were 7-Eleven at $1,565 and Netflix at $1,549. The former can attribute its high average to posts from driver Kyle Busch promoting Rowdy Energy Drinks being available at the convenience store chain, and Netflix has Bubba Wallace to thank for popularizing his upcoming series on the platform.
NASCAR has always been committed to promoting the sport and its partners, and that was overwhelmingly evident during race week this year. NASCAR produced nearly 8,000 social posts across the four major platforms during the week, ultimately generating $887.3K worth of brand value to lead all accounts. Official channels for NASCAR on FOX also dwarfed the rest of the competition by earning $323.5K in brand value. The top driver in our list was Kyle Busch, whose average of $3.6K in brand value per post helped elevate M&M’s and 7-Eleven in our overall brand rankings. Team Penske, for whom Cindric drives, edged Daytona International Speedway’s official accounts for fourth place with $70.8K in brand value, while the winner used his newfound stardom to generate $17.6K in brand value – good for 21st overall – at an average of $1.6K per post. The only driver other than Busch to exceed Cindric in average was fan favorite Chase Elliott, who generated $3.4K per post and totaled almost $58.1K during the week. Last year’s Cup Series champion, Kyle Larson, finished 23rd in our post author rankings with $12.9K in value.
In the wake of this year’s Daytona 500, two things remain clear: maintaining a strong following is vital as teams aim to generate long-term success for their partners, and winning races provides immediate value boosts. Busch and Elliott far exceeded their fellow drivers in terms of total and average brand value generated on social media, but Cindric’s surprise victory resulted in an instant impact for Discount Tire, which finished second in brand value on social media and 13th in broadcast value. The NASCAR season is a lengthy journey covering thousands of miles across the country and around the track, and the multi-faceted promotional approach each team takes becomes increasingly valuable to their partners with each checkered flag. MVP will continue to monitor these metrics as the Cup Series rolls on.
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