NASCAR's TrackPass puts fans in the action, and email leads them there. NASCAR.com's director of advertising and marketing explains.
NASCAR fans are deeply connected to the sport of racing, the NASCAR brand and their favorite drivers. In turn, NASCAR is always looking for new ways to get the fans more involved with racing and closer to the drivers.
To this end, NASCAR.com's TrackPass offers fans exclusive multi-media access to a wide variety of live race day content. Using live audio and data feeds from around the track and inside the driver's cars, NASCAR's TrackPass gives fans unprecedented access to live race action. TrackPass is a subscription-based product that comes in three levels: RaceView, PitCommand and Scanner.
TrackPass Scanner enables fans to listen to live streaming audio communications between their favorite driver and his pit crew in every NASCAR NEXTEL Cup car equipped with audio. Fans can switch between the full field of available dedicated driver feeds, hear teams discuss race strategy, know when the drivers are going to pit, hear how the cars are handling and scan competing drivers.
When it came time to introduce TrackPass Scanner to fans, NASCAR turned to Datran Media's technology to deliver an email campaign that truly engaged the fan and brought the benefits of TrackPass Scanner to life.
The TrackPass Scanner campaign began with a pre-race notification email to all of NASCAR.com's email subscribers notifying recipients of a free trial for the Talladega race weekend. Fans receiving the emails were greeted by familiar NASCAR.com creative, and could sample race day audio clips of NASCAR's top drivers directly from the email.
The ability to embed audio clips within the email communications created a climax to the multi-media campaign that identically reflected the product offering and NASCAR.com branding. There is no better way to promote live driver audio feeds from NASCAR drivers and their pit crews than with audio messaging directly from NASCAR drivers.
Because email messaging can also be customized to fit any number of disparate interest groups within a consumer base, the second phase of the email campaign targeted NASCAR fans based on their previously registered driver preferences on the NASCAR.com site. Datran designed each recipient's email with creative and messaging from his favorite driver.
The TrackPass Scanner campaign also illustrates why email is so effective for time-sensitive campaigns. Immediately following the Talladega Race Weekend, NASCAR delivered recipients a "buy now" special discount on the RaceDay Scanner subscription for future races. With an open rate of 31 percent, the "Buy Now" phase of the campaign reached NASCAR fans at exactly the right moment.
With so many passionate fans with strong allegiances to different drivers, email presented the only technology that could accurately convey the product offering while meeting NASCAR.com's goals and fans' needs. During the campaign, NASCAR.com deployed 1 million emails before and after the Talladega race weekend. As a result of the TrackPass Scanner email campaign, NASCAR.com generated tens of thousands of free trials. Conversion rates were equally startling with a 72 percent increase in both pre and post race subscriptions.
NASCAR.com continues to employ its free weekend trials, which consistently produce higher conversion rates than any other direct marketing campaign for the TrackPass Scanner. While many other mediums assert the NASCAR brand and tee up the opportunity for fans, we are continually impressed with how well-executed email delivers at the peak of our multi-media campaigns.
Norman Miglietta is director, advertising and marketing for Turner Sports New Media. Read full bio.