Kmart's Stock-Car Stuffer - Brief Article - Statistical Data Included

Brandweek, Dec 6, 1999 by Terry Lefton

Nascar is teaming with Kmart for the stock-car circuit's largest retail promotion ever, one that will corral more than 100 products from 24 brands, including Campbell, Coca-Cola, Gatorade, Kal-Kan, M&M's, Oreos, Planters and Tide, along with a raft of Nascar-licensed merchandise, under the umbrella of a 10-week frequency/loyalty program kicking off early next year.

The Nascar 500 promo, which runs Jan. 16-March 25 at more than 2,100 stores, allows fans to accumulate points by purchasing a variety of packaged goods and Nascar licensed items at Kmart. Once a consumer accumulates 500 points (equivalent to around $200 in spending), they can be redeemed via mail for a proprietary Nascar diecast model of the Ford Taurus that Darrell Waltrip will drive in a race early next year sporting a specially designed paint job touting the promo. The die-cast car cash cow of Nascar's licensing program, will not be sold elsewhere.

Those redeeming points are also entered into a sweeps whose top prize is Waltrip's actual car and a trip for four to the Coca-Cola 600 held in Charlotte, N.C., on May 30.

Consumers can track their purchases through 5 million game books distributed at Kmart, via direct mail and bound inside Nascar-licensed publications as well as on the Internet. Support includes a massive in-store effort: end caps, inflatable versions of Waltrip's car and life-size standees of the driver, The promo will be featured in Kmart's 72 million-circ. weekly editions in three of the 10 weeks it runs and in Nascar-controlled electronic media.TV tags are also being considered.

"The bottom line here is building traffic and moving product for Kmart and the partners," said Liz Schlosser, Nascar's senior managing director of marketing, "but we're also hoping that some brands participating that aren't Nascar sponsors will be able to get a feel for the property and in the long term it will help increase our licensed product presence at retail."

Nascar depends on retailers at its own venues to move licensed product more than any other sports property The effort also helps build momentum for its season-opening glamour event, the Daytona 500, which runs Feb. 20. Meanwhile, Kmart gets to further leverage its team sponsorship with Travis Carter Motorsports, which has Waltrip as its featured driver.