NASCAR hopes to tap younger audience with X Games icon
PHOENIXX Games star Travis Pastrana announced plans to compete in seven Nationwide races next season and 20 in 2012, giving NASCAR another crossover star driver with a strong connection to younger audiences.
Pastrana, 27, is forming a Nationwide team with Michael Waltrip. The team plans to expose the action sports world's fans and participants to NASCAR and develop youth marketing initiatives.
Read the rest of the article here: http://hamptonroads.com/2010/11/nascar-hopes-tap-younger-audience-x-games-icon
In a 2 paragraph response (a minimum of 5 sentences for each paragraph), answer the following questions.
David Hill, Fox Sports chairman and CEO, complained that "the biggest problem facing NASCAR is that the young males have left the sport." He specifically pointed to the 18-34 male demographic, which is prized by advertisers. In paragraph # 1, discuss why is this such a concern and how will Travis Pastran's participation address this issue? Be specific with your thoughts.
In paragraph # 2, discuss why the 18-34 male demographic so important to advertisers? Also, do you think the success of Pasatran determine how much he impacts the bottom line of NASCAR? Why or why not? Be specific with your thoughts.
Please sign your name to the bottom of your blog entry.
Travis Pastrana in NASCAR
ReplyDeleteNASCAR has its new premier marketing ploy. They are going to bring X-Games icon Travis Pastrana in to race in 7 Nationwide events in 2011, and 20 in 2012. This is big for NASCAR because they feel like they have lost the 12-17 age and are having trouble with men the ages of 18-34, which makes a premier athlete like Pastrana, who definitely appeals to a younger audience, perfect for the job. NASCAR will probably gain more viewers and who knows, maybe get more people hooked on the sport. NASCAR has really nothing to lose at this point, and only able to gain based on previous indications that NASCAR was looking for a new star to market around.
This is important for advertisers because young men are a huge part of television audiences and this could increase marketability and revenue based on ticket sales and advertising space. This is a huge demographic because the most sports fans are in the 18-34 age range and would appeal to many more people if these types of people got into the sport. NASCAR will definitely gain more fans on this move, but the real question is, “How big can the interest get.” This will be an interesting venture on NASCAR’s part and I think this is a good move to bring an extreme sports athlete into NASCAR.
JOEY DOLAN
This is a concern since the people coming into nascar are about 18-34 that’s a young age for the adults starting at 18. With other people seeing that people are coming into the sport at a young age other people that arein the sport will want to do the same thing. Travis also is young and does not know much about nascar skill wise. He is only been in the X-games which does not compare even close to nascar that goes 10 tmes faster and are bigger. X-games is more of a skills thing.
ReplyDeleteThe age group of 18-34 are important to the advertisers because they are young and just coming into the sport. They also could get a lot of money from them since fans will want to get what ever they are advertising. I think if he has a lot of success then that will have a lot of impact on Nascar. If he doesn’t do anything to impact nascar than they will just forget about him and go on to the next young nascar driving coming into the league.
Keith Krause
The problem that Nascar is having right now is that there are not enough young drivers in the sport. This is a problem because if you have older people racing only older people will want to watch the sport but if you have younger people racing then younger people will want to watch the sport and thus nascar will make more money and profits from this. Travis Pastran will help this because he is a young nascar driver and will and can influence younger drivers to come out.
ReplyDeleteDrivers ages 18-34 are so important because there aren’t enough young people watching nascar its mostly older people. If there were to say younger drivers then perhaps more younger people would be more interested in watching nascar. This would be good because of the profit base. The more younger people you have watching the sport the more profit you will make thus everyone is happier.
Blog #3
ReplyDeleteLuis Reyes
NASCAR is really boring to me, but some people really enjoy it. I feel like having old people in a sport isn’t really fun to watch for young fans. The reasoning behind that is because they want to see young contestants with real talent doing the same thing and going the extra mile to out-run the “veterans”. Most sports are played by athletes that are within the 18-34 age group. Anything outside of that age group is really dull. Old people play golf, bingo, chess, sports that bore people to death. NASCAR needs to be changed, now. I don’t think many people watch it, simply because of the old geezers. If you introduce an icon like Travis Pastrana, many kids that follow the X-Games will surely give NASCAR a try.
NASCAR advertisers need to do something immediately to save their sport. The 18-34 age group is critical to have because it will attract many more fans. Fans look up to role-models, and to me a role-model isn’t necessarily someone that’s as old as my dad. It’s someone other than my dad, another figure in my life to look up to, relatively young doing great things. Pastrana is a prime example of this. With his appearance in NASCAR, many kids that look up to him will start watching it because they just want to see him excel like he has been doing all along. NASCAR made a really great decision with him, they just need to recruit more athletes like him as well.
This is a very big problem for many reasons. If there are no young male athletes then there will be no young viewers. Because f younger viewers do not see familiar names then they will not be interested in what there is to watch. Travis Pastrana will fix this problem because he has a very large fan base and most of them are young males. He has a very large fan base because of the stunts he does. Also because of the MTV show he is on called Nitro Circus. Because of these reasons Travis Pastrana will fix these problems.
ReplyDeleteIt is very important to have a young fan base. A younger fan base will make or break the future of a company. If your fan base is only older people then in the future your organization will have no fans. It is best to have a younger fan base because then they will be fans for all of their lives and pass down their beliefs to their children. For these reasons a young fan base is very important.
ABEL HENOK
Travis Pastrana has been in the media for a long time now. He has built a cooperation that is successful because he is one of the best in the game. He can appeal to many different age demographics but most importantly men 18-34. Pastrana himself id 27 so he fit in this demographic. This allows him to be a role model to other guys that like is style. Because Pastrana has been so successful he is able to do the things he wants which defiantly appeals to the younger generation.
ReplyDeleteThis demographic is hard to appeal to. It is so important because these guys are the ones that buy the merchandise and buy the season tickets and if there are no guys 18-34 at the race no one will see a profit. When I was younger I remember watching Jeff Gordon even though #24 is still racing a new face will be refreshing. Pastrana is known for his crazy stunts on his show Nitro Circus and in the X games. Everyone will be watching his every move to see what he does next.
A possible reason why the 18-34 age group is so important to NASCAR is that maybe that was their original target market. They may feel concerned because if their target market leaves them, then maybe everyone else will follow. Travis Pastrana may be adored by the 18-34 age group. If that demographic follows Pastrana and takes an interest in the things he does, then they will definitely watch if he is in NASCAR. While their watching Pastrana drive, maybe they’ll gain a greater interest in the sport in general. That’s the goal.
ReplyDeleteThe 18-34 age group is important for a couple reasons. One reason may be that this group is a majority of the population. I don’t know if that’s true, but if it is, then that would be a good reason as to why they’re so important. Another reason why that age group may be important is because at that age, life-long habits develop. If an 18 year-old begins watching NASCAR weekly, then it is likely that that will develop into a lifelong interest in the sport. A lifelong fan is created. That’s customer loyalty. The success of Pastrana will definitely help the bottom line of NASCAR. Wider audience = more money.
DIL AMERKHaIL
NASCAR needs its fans, it is a sport that survives off its fan base. Its fans keep the sport lively and worth watching. Pastrana's decision to join the NASCAR scene. Without the younger fans NASCAR will start to lose out on the newer generations of people. A possibility of having a generation of fans that could soon run out and leave NASCAR alone with no new fans.
ReplyDeleteThe younger demographic is important to NASCAR because the younger people today will influence the younger people of tomorrow. The 18-34 year old target market will have a generation of children who all have a possibility to be NASCAR fans. Pastrana will have an enourmous effect of the fans of NASCAR. Pastrana has had a TV show on MTV and gained many younger fans who wouldwatch NASCAR simply because he is participating.
Luke Gardner
I think why it is a big concern for NASCAR is because the viewing percentage goes down as well as the spectator audience goes down. This could be bad for NASCAR because they can lose a lot of money due to this cause. I think if Travis Pastrana would join NASC AR a lot of the youth would follow him as well. The reason why is because Travis already has a good connection with youth from the X Games and also from his television show.
ReplyDeleteI think it would be a big concern for advertising because that’s a lot of prophet that they could be losing from the youth not into NASCAR. It also isn’t good because they won’t be able to spread their products through other people as much. I think that Pastrana would make a big impact because coming to NASCAR because so many people like Pastrana that so many spectators are going to be coming.
In the world of NASCAR, there is huge lack of youth in this business and advertisers are looking for that big thing to change this. With most of the fans of NASCAR being above 34, advertisers believe that the 18-34 range is where they want to be. As the next season of NASCAR comes around, so will new comer Travis Pastrana, with a very impressive younger fan base. As Pastrana prepares for his well awaited season with NASCAR they believe that with Travis’ arrival, all of his younger fans will follow him into this new sport. NASCAR believes that all of its younger fans have left the sport and soon will all of its advertisers, but with Travis Pastrana’s arrival all of that could change.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the 18-34 demographic is so important to advertisers because, that is the age where people are still interested in new and better things. That is the age where people still want to get out and buy things. It is also an age where sports and entertainment is most affective. Without this demographic, advertisers would be losing their biggest contributors to the sports and entertainment business. When it comes to NASCAR, a younger fan base could help the business and allow advertisers to expand their products. With the arrival of Travis Pastrana, advertisers could have a whole new place to get ideas from and a new way to keep their fans interested.
-Brandon Smith
I think that they're fears are eventually going to come true, as 18-34 young males are going to leave them for bigger and better things. I feel that if you don't find it interesting as a child, then you're not going to like it as an adult. That’s that. That’s all there is to it! You should be more focused on the ages before that to get the fans when they’re older. Affecting their children in turn will give you a stronghold on the next generation of youth. That is what they should be most concerned about. But yes, this Travis will help a lot by connecting with the youth. But if it fails, NASCAR will lose this generation’s fans and most likely the next. Travis will play a key role.
ReplyDeleteThe advertisers are supposed to be aimed at the younger fans, but they are just not reaching it. There are more 18-34 year olds than most age targeting programs. But that just means a better chance of failing to get to them. NASCAR is legit about this. They need this age group, or they will go under. If you lose the age group once, it will be very hard to get them back when they’re parents don’t approve of it. And they won’t approve of it if they don’t like it.
Danny PJ's Marcinek
NASCAR does not have the same appeal to young adults between 18 and 30 years old because there are other sports like football, basketball or baseball. It does not get the same advertisement as NFL or the NBA. Many young people know who is Travis Pastrana. What NASCAR is hoping is that because many young people follow Travis, he can influence those people to watch him race in NASCAR. Also, it will get a lot of media attention because he considered a celebrity.
ReplyDeleteI think that the 18-34 male demographic is so important because they watch many sporting events. Especially football or basketball because that what men like to watch when they are at home. And they also work, and if they see a commercial about a product that they like, they are most likely to buy it. I think that Travis is going to have a big impact on the ratings of NASCAR. He is very well known, and is going to bring attention to the races he competes in.
-Jaime Avila
Travis Pastrana’s decision to compete in nationally televised races is a brilliant way to promote the sport NASCAR racing. The problem NASCAR had with young athletes is that they leave the sport too early. Young athletes leave because they don’t get enough recognition. Travis Pastrana is going to change the way people look at young NASCAR racers. He will change the sport of NASCAR ultimately.
ReplyDeleteThe 18-34 demographic is so important because the media favors middle aged men because they are mature which is preferred by the public. The success of Pastrana is very beneficial to NASCAR because he changes the way the public views young athletes. He definitely impacted the bottom line in NASCAR. Younger athletes will now be more marketed
Not having many younger NASCAR racers, especially between the ages of 18-34, is a huge issue. These racers are the ones that are more daring and energetic, while the older racers are not. When the racers become older, they are not as excited about the sport, thus becoming less daring. These younger racers such as Travis Pastrana are great for NASCAR because now they have people that are much more daring. Another thing that makes Travis Pastrana great for being a NASCAR racer is that he was on Nitro Circus. This is a show about people who do crazy and stupid stuff that attracts viewers because of how daring they are. This makes Travis a great person for the racecar industry because now they have someone that has actually done a daredevil show, making him not afraid while he’s driving.
ReplyDeleteYoung racers who are specifically between the ages of 18-34 are great for being the face of advertisements because they are the younger, braver, and newest racers. People who are huge NASCAR fans lay their hopes on these younger people, hoping that one day they could become a great NASCAR driver. It does not take much for you to think that a young racer has potential, because he still has room for improvement. However, if they are an older NASCAR driver and still aren’t that great, then you will not follow them as much because they are already almost as good as they are going to get. I believe that how successful Pastrana is really affects the bottom line of NASCAR because if he everyone follows him because they think that he is the best and he ends up failing or just not living up to expectations, then not much people would like him and he would stop being paid for advertisements. Eventually, he would have to quit NASCAR and go back to only doing Nitro Circus. However, I do not believe that this will truly happen. I believe that Pastrana will be a very successful NASCAR driver.
-Jack O'Donnell
The fact that the 18 to 34 male demographic is losing spectators and followers is a huge concern. The sport targets this demographic when advertising. When this demographic is lost the spectators of the sport begin to be lost. Travis Pastran, through his X games successes will attract a younger audience. It will help bring some of those 18 to34 year old males back to the sport. Hopefully, if Pastran is successful then he will bring back that demographic to the strength it once had in the sport.
ReplyDeleteThe 18 to 34 male demographic is important to advertisers because that is who advertising is directed towards. The advertisements for NASCAR come on ESPN, usually after five in the evening. This is a channel that is popular to this demographic. The success of Pastran will definitely impact NASCAR. At first when Danica Patrick entered NASCAR there was a lot of buzz about her but when she was unsuccessful , potential viewers stopped paying attention.
Having ages 18-34 nearly out of your market will completely destroy your certain sport or activity. Nascar is concerned that they are missing this age group and have decided bringing over X Games driver to participate in the upcoming season. This will help draw fans over to Nascar especially ages 18-24 because this x games driver already has a big group of fans following him in the x games so Nascar is hoping that they will follow him and continue supporting them.
ReplyDeleteThe age group 18-34 is so important to the marketing industry because it is the age group when people are just on their own to the time where they may know how to manage their money correctly. Businesses without the age group 18-34 is not just hurt but scarred for years and years to come for the amount of impact and weight the age group 18-34 carries. The success of Pasatran is extremely important to the success of this age group, if he wins people will want to want to watch him if he loses people will be less likely to want to watch him.
Andrew Frawley
The issue of young race drivers leaving NASCAR is a big concern, because it could hurt NASCAR. Without the young drivers in NASCAR not driving anymore, young watchers wouldn’t be so interested in watching the sport. It could hurt NASCAR’s economy, because there won’t be enough sales of NASCAR items. The fact of Travis Pastrana joining NASCAR could help them, because then more people could come back to the sport and keeping buying NASCAR products. Young audiences will enjoy seeing Pastrana racing with the older drivers.
ReplyDeleteThe 18-34 male demographic is so important to advertisers, because without them, the advertisers wouldn’t be able to show their new products, especially if it’s for that age group. Advertisers wouldn’t know what to advertise anymore and could hurt their company. I think that Pastrana’s success impacts the bottom line of NASCAR a lot, because it attracts a lot of younger and younger audiences. It helps NASCAR reach out to those young audiences. Pastrana success in NASCAR is big and helps NASCAR become a little more popular.
Anna Vallejo
This is a concern since the people coming into nascar are about 18-34 that’s a young age for the adults starting at 18. Other people seeing that people are coming into the sport at a young age other people that are in the sport will want to do the same thing. For instant, footballs go into the league about 21. That 3 years of a different than nascar. Travis doesn’t really know anything about nascar and doesn’t seem like nascar material. If you don’t know a sport quite well you’re not going to enjoy it just like others.
ReplyDeleteThis is important for advertisers because young men are a huge part of television audiences and this could increase marketability and revenue based on ticket sales and advertising space. If young people are in the league they will tend to have long career. The amount of time they’re in the league they make a lot of money. It’s a positive action if they stay in the league, instead of older men. Football is a success because you have people like brett favre making big plays.
Nascar draws in a big audience for older men, but typically not the younger generation because they don't have any young drivers. If Travis Pastran were to enter Nascar, then that would bring in the young crowd because he's in the younger generation being in the latest x games and all that. People that follow him and if were to see that he was doing Nascar then they would want to watch him so therefore would bring people to watch Nascar.
ReplyDeleteAll ages are generally important to any type of sporting event to bring in the most money. If Travis Pastran were to come to Nascar a lot of young people would watch him, especially if he became successful. He could possibly change Nascar for the younger generation instead of it just being for older people, generally hicks from the south.
Jeremy Wagner
I can't stand NASCAR i have never watched the racing but a lots of people took about it. people are crazy at this time they like extrime sports to see people crash,bleed and other staff that is extrime,but me i am not in this kind of sport but other people might be so NASCAR has a lots of fans the fans came to see Pastrana matter in fact one time i want to see travis pastrana.
ReplyDeletenow NASCAR is all about travis pastrana every young person who likes NASCAR they just wont to
be just like him, even the little kids. Their is a lots injers so if people who want to be like hime they need to take a risk and do it.
The concern dealing with the lack of fans NASCAR has in the 18-34 age group has to be a great concern. That age range makes up the majority of the fans in almost every sport. They are losing fans because of the lack of youth in the sport. Yes, there racers are still big name but none of them really appeal to young viewers like Travis Pastrana. He is a huge X-games star and there are really no young sports fans who don’t know who he is. He is a big name athlete and has many fans in the 18-34 age range. He will bring many of his young fans to the sport of NASCAR to watch his individual performance and after seeing the sport they will hopefully be intrigued by the sport and want to continue watching it even without Pastrana.
ReplyDeleteThe 18-34 demographic is very important in my opinion because they are the hardest group to persuade. They can change very easily so it is hard to create advertisements that can really sell their product. Also they are important because they make up a lot of the consumers right now. They are not young kids who have no money. But they are 18 and older so they are adults that have money to spend on what they want which makes them important when they decide which product to buy. Also I really don’t think Pastrana’ performance matter s to bring in fans because the way that his personality is it will still bring in fans just to see him in a different element than he is normally in. He will have fans regardless of how he competes just because he is Travis Pastrana.
-Thomas Baird
Travis Pastran, who’s 27 years old, is someone that NASCAR has been searching for. A young male that can help advertise and promote NASCAR. NASCAR is missing many of their young males since more than half of the drivers are over 35 years old. The older a male is, the less chance that they can promote and advertise a industry because fans want young, energetic and popular people.
ReplyDeleteBeing in the ages between 18-34, means a lot to the NASCAR industry. If you’ve noticed, almost all advertisements are mainly focused on people who are younger than the age of 30. They’re usually rookies and superstars of the league. In most leagues, players over the age of 30, are not the main superstars. I think Pastran’s success does impact NASCAR and it does it in an increasingly way.
He is concerned because there is an 18-35 male age group. Also his talent is not seeking out a very wide number of people and/or age group. I think that because he has won in the X games and played in the super cross motocross and rally racing, it will help in him get rid of this problem. I believe that NASCAR has very few problems in how many fans that they have. Also they have really nothing to lose.The age demographic is important because you are getting a random number of people each a different age. Also this may be important to advisers because they can see the maturity level of people as of how safe they would be. I think that his success is a big impact on NASCARS ratings. That goes with everyone that is big named in the NASCAR.
ReplyDeleteHe is concerned about the 18-25 male age range. With the new guy joining that may help. It may be a sign that the younger males are joining NASCAR again. This will be reconigized places and made a beal deal of. People will hear that he won in X games and other such races and want to see him. This will bring alot of attention to NASCAR by the fans.
ReplyDeleteThe age demographic is important because you are getting a bunch of different ages together. Its a mixed age sport. Having a pro come in from other sports is big. People that watched him from the X games are now going to come and watch him on NASCAR. This will overall in the end help out NASCAR.
ANDREW FOSTER