Welcome
2018 Quaker State 400 Activation
Welcome
2018 Quaker State 400 Activation
2018 Quaker State 400 presented by Walmart
Quaker State painted the Bluegrass state green on July 12-14, 2018, for the Quaker State 400 Presented By Walmart. Although this was the 8th year of the race, we reimagined the event and unveiled all new sponsorship activation elements. Everything was new in 2018, from the pre-race promotion, an internal Shell Lobby Day event, to custom creative and a media buy, to the vast press coverage, to the Walmart sponsorship integration, to the influencer engagement, to the aptly named fan engagement zone, “The Quaker State Pit Stop.”
Quaker State made it a priority to strategically develop custom, branded content that was not only relevant to racing, but also incorporated key product benefits in a humorous tone of voice to engage with fans and customers in a natural and interactive way. These strategies were brought to life through the creative and fan engagement opportunities.
The team worked to develop over 100 new creative assets, including internal communication assets, teaser videos, digital banners, paid social posts, track signage, Quaker State Pit Stop creative, POP, custom wraps, and more that were featured prominently throughout the track and within our media buys.
We have highlighted some of the key activation elements and have provided an overview of the amazing stats from the race weekend below.
media stories
251
impressions
90,652,854
ad value
$4,470,116
| Year | Stories | Impressions | Ad Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 247 | 15,376,606 | $233,279 |
| 2017 | 18 | 13,046,377 | $36,627 |
| 2018 | 251 | 90,652,854 | $4,470,116 |
Selected Media Placements
Fox19 NOW Online (VPM: 1,250,000)
WKYT-TV Online (VPM: 830,659)
WYMT Twitter (Followers: 62,725)
Sports Business Daily Online (VPM: 446,768)
WAVE-TV Online (VPM: 437,947)
KTVN-TV Online (VPM: 166,760)
KSWO-TV Online (VPM: 158,541)
Northern Kentucky Tribune Online (VPM: 49,184)
SpeedwayDigest.com (VPM: 7,894)
KentuckyLatinoNews.com (VPM: 500)
KickintheTires.com (VPM: 500)
organic social
impressions
275,321
Tweet For Your Feet
engagement
648 Tweets
paid social
impressions
26,000,000
New
twitter followers
600
Tonight, Grand Marshal for the #QS400 and professional angler @Jimmy_Houston won’t tell @NASCAR drivers, “Gentleman, start your engines!” Watch to hear Jimmy’s take on being Grand Marshal. pic.twitter.com/W5qRd2kUP0
— Quaker State (@QuakerState) July 14, 2018
Stopping by @Walmart on the way to the #QuakerState400? Here is the #TPCCrew #raceday shopping list to help you out! #racing #nascar #familyfun @QuakerState @KySpeedway @Shell_OnTheRoad pic.twitter.com/5Wyrl6OiIQ
— Tommy Pike Customs (@tommypikecustom) July 14, 2018
Our friends at @QuakerState have a KILLER display here this weekend! Be sure to stop by the Quaker State Pit Stop by Gate 15
— Kentucky Speedway (@KySpeedway) July 14, 2018
#QS400 | #ThisIsSPARTA pic.twitter.com/Xj9k5INHGJ
UNDER. THE. LIGHTS.✨ pic.twitter.com/Kf5vHsp9GQ
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 15, 2018
Focused Creative and Media Buying
The QS400 campaigns delivered over 26MM impressions. Branded Paid Search volume increased 36% in July vs. monthly averages, with QS400 campaigns driving 2.2x CTR. OLV (Desktop, Mobile & Connected TV) – 5M impressions, 3.2M video completes, 65% VCR.
Nice night for Paul Menard.
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) July 15, 2018
The Quaker State car had a solid day to move his way closer to making the #NASCARPlayoffs in the #QS400. pic.twitter.com/xvHE6l0Iry
NASCAR Twitter Pre-Roll Sponsorship – NBCSN
Delivered a View Rate 40% better than industry benchmark with a CPV 23% stronger than benchmark.Local Radio Live Announcer Reads in the Cincinnati area pulled 1,850,040 impressions
Updated brand landing page on brand website, updated with QS400 content and Walmart Content
Paid Facebook Ads
Connected TV earned the highest VCR (93%) across platforms
OLV (Mobile, Desktop and Connected TV) earned 8MM Impressions
Customer Engagement
Customer Engagement
Customer Engagement
Customer Engagement
Before...
On the B2B side, Quaker State delivered an unforgettable reward for top business performers across North America. Walmart, Ideal Supply, Englefield Oil, Major Brands Oil, Perkins Oil/Fast Track and more. Not only was it a blast for guests to enjoy the race...new friends were made, faces connected with email addresses, and many new things were learned. Given the format of the weekend, this happened on and off the track with the entire group coming together for dinner on Friday night where we had special guests come by for a visit.
Larry McReynold's hanging out with guests at Friday night's dinner.
Larry McReynold's speaking with guests at Friday night's dinner.
When guests arrived to the track Saturday afternoon, it was clear Quaker State was in charge with the green walls and crowd-favorite green rally towels. The first 10,000 fans through the gate received a light up Quaker State Bracelet or Quaker State Fan.
Don’t Forget! Today at 2pm/EDT I take over the @QuakerState Twitter Account from @KySpeedway #QS400 Reply with any questions for me! #funtimes #FB pic.twitter.com/ajp5JIIK8g
— Larry McReynolds (@LarryMac28) July 12, 2018
Larry McReynold's Twitter Takeover
The Larry McReynolds Twitter takeover, comprised of 8 tweets, earned a total of 47,646 impressions and averaged a 0.65% engagement. It created a noticeable lift in impressions earning 6% of total impressions from the weekend.
Here I am telling you about the time Ricky Rudd and Dale Earnhardt Sr. took each other out. After the race there were no punches thrown, but there were some spirited conversations.
— Quaker State (@QuakerState) July 12, 2018
-Larry Mac pic.twitter.com/WgvOCESuSa
This is when crew chiefs actually worked on race cars. And can you believe we were on pit road without helmets? --Larry Mac pic.twitter.com/jIFs472hYA
— Quaker State (@QuakerState) July 12, 2018
.@burghfan60 wants to know if I see other car manufacturers coming into #NASCAR. It would be very healthy for new manufacturers to come to NASCAR, but it can be a long, extensive process.
— Quaker State (@QuakerState) July 12, 2018
-Larry Mac pic.twitter.com/r8jyhOJaUk
“This race was exceptional and the staff and brand team did a great job bringing the ambassadors and customer experience together to a cohesive space. Great job!”
Exclusive meet & greet with Joey Logano.
Jimmy Houston’s Grand Marshal video right before the start of the race earned the highest organic impressions out of all Quaker State 400 content with a total of 14,978 impressions.
Throughout the weekend, his Twitter Takeover consisted of 4 posts that earned 16,034 impressions and averaged a 0.39% engagement rate.
Grand Marshal Jimmy Houston gives the command and the 2018 #QS400 is officially underway. #NASCAR @FLWFishing @KySpeedway pic.twitter.com/dDbmGl9eqh
— Quaker State (@QuakerState) July 14, 2018
“There was no comparison, we were treated like royalty and loved every minute of it. I don’t know if it would be the same to attend another race as a ‘regular fan.’”
Starting the Quaker State 400 in style by waving the green flag.
During...
To enjoy one of the few night races on the calendar, guests were treated to start/finish line suites, a curated tent with loads of raffle prizes, and Pit Zero - a custom hospitality space right on the edge of the track. We had friends of Quaker State drop by and chat with guests, from Larry McReynolds and Paul Menard offering insight into NASCAR to Jimmy Houston & Co. teaching guests how to cast a perfect fishing line.
Larry McReynolds and Paul Menard visit guests in the hospitality tent.
Guests at the Pit Zero hospitality enjoy a visit from Joey Logano.
Set ‘em loose. The Quaker State 400 starts now. Share your view of the action with #QS400. pic.twitter.com/iwFMxtj3jr
— Quaker State (@QuakerState) July 14, 2018
SCC is grateful for the support of @QuakerState! Your generous contribution helps us make a difference in the lives of children in the @KySpeedway community! #KidsWin https://t.co/Uy9AnA4QNi
— Speedway Charities (@SCCNational) July 15, 2018
As part of the opening ceremonies of the race, Quaker State announced it has committed $21,000 in 2018 to Speedway Children’s Charities and their efforts to improve the lives of children in the local area. 21,000 was chosen to match the number on the side of the iconic no. 21 wood brothers ford driven by Paul Menard carrying the Quaker State primary colors during race weekend!
Quaker State Pit Stop
Quaker State developed a new activation footprint this year that strategically, encapsulated the Quaker State brand positioning of ‘everything you need, nothing you don’t. It also seamlessly integrated our influencers – Tommy Pike Customs, the LowRider Roll Models, the Fishing League Worldwide (FLW) Anglers and our presented by sponsor, Walmart. We wanted to give fans things they wanted and needed on race day and then tie those unique experiences back to key brand messages and product benefits. The footprint featured 8 main areas where fans and customers could engage with the brand in fun and educational ways, scroll below to see.
estimated
visits
40,451
Avg. Time Spent In Area Of Footprint
(Brand Exposure)
12.8 minutes
estimated
engagements
22,738
Avg. Time Spent Within Footprint
(Brand Engagement)
5 minutes
Features of the Quaker State Pit Stop
TOMMY PIKE CUSTOMS
Fans meet Tommy Pike and learned about his amazing customized Quaker State vehicles, while hanging out in the shade of his new custom rig.
LOWRIDER ROLE MODELS
Fans interacted with Rudy Rivas, Editor of Lowrider Magazine and Joe Ray, a featured Lowrider Roll Model. They learned not only about the phenomenal Lowrider vehicles on display, but also about how the Lowrider Roll Models video series, sponsored by Quaker State, was developed to break stereotypes and bring awareness to the culture of lowriding.
EXTREME TEMPERATURE PROTECTION ZONE
When fans wanted to escape the heat they could cool off under our misting station or check out the firesuit that protects our Quaker State driver, Paul Menard, from extreme temperatures…just like Quaker State protects their engine from extreme temperatures.
JUMBO PRIZE WHEEL
Fans could experience their own personal victory lane by winning awesome prizes at the jumbo prize wheel.
WALMART ACC
The far-left bay of Tommy’s rig, was the starting point of our Walmart Auto Care Center (ACC). The last bay mimicked an ACC waiting room, and featured information on current Quaker State offers and promotions at Walmart.
Next to the waiting room were the Walmart ACC bays. In the first bay we had, Tommy Pike’s Quaker State Toyota Tundra, where fans could learn about the variety of services they can get done at a Walmart ACC and check out the amazing custom work of Tommy Pike.
In the second bay, fans could test their skills in a Quaker State Pit Crew Challenge tire change game or they could race to see who could complete an oil change in record time.
QUAKER STATE OUTDOORS
The goal of this space was to give a nod to the outdoor space and to let consumers know that Quaker State can be used in a variety of vehicles, on and off road, not just in passenger cars, and that you can get Quaker State and your outdoor gear at Walmart.
The Fishing League Worldwide (FLW) Anglers signed autographs by their custom Quaker State boat and while fans were waiting to meet-and-greet the anglers they could check out Tommy Pike’s Custom Polaris RZR1000 4-Seater.
QUAKER STATE GARAGE
Fans kicked back and relaxed in our Quaker State garage. Over 650 fans tweeted @QuakerState and raced away with some awesome Quaker State 400 socks, courtesy of our “Tweet for your Feet” Twitter vending machine.
The Quaker State Garage also provide a pit stop in the shade where fans could recharge their phones, play some cornhole or test their driving skills on a racing simulator featuring the Quaker State 400 track.
LIVING TROPHY
The culmination of the fan experience was capturing the winning moment, with a photo finish, on the larger-than-life replica of the Quaker State 400 trophy.
After...
And what better way to wrap up the evening than a VIP trip to Victory Lane with race winner Martin Truex Jr.? Guests were featured front and center in Quaker State green to celebrate the race, and to wrap up an excellent weekend.
Celebrating in Victory Lane after a fantastic race!
Guest Feedback
Guest Feedback
Guest Feedback
Guest Feedback
How was the experience?
In an effort to constantly improve guest experience, we administered a comprehensive survey for guests to complete after the event. The results were overwhelming. A critical element of this sponsorship is what it does to incremental sales for Quaker State products throughout the year, and our survey shared with Quaker State distributors and customers focuses on this element. Not only was the feedback positive, it generated considerable ideas for future business development opportunities surrounding the event.
67/68 guests who responded rated their experience "Excellent" or "Above Average" as of 7/18/2018
98% of respondents believe this Quaker State sponsorship generates sales.
Q: Do you think this sponsorship is effective for Quaker State's business?
🏁"[This event generates] lots of positive buzz for weeks before and after."
🏁"It is great to see the brand come to life - I believe this will leave a lasting impression on both consumers and customers."
🏁"Try to get more customers to come."
Q: What are some of the ways we can improve this experience?
✅"Continue expanding and leveraging this race with our partners. Start communication sooner."
✅"Link QS brand promotions to the sponsorship."
✅Think we should add company names to dinner name tags."
If you have any questions about this event, please contact us.
Copyright of Shell International. Metric support from JWT, MediaCom, The Kerry Group, and Coyne PR. Photos from Sport Dimensions and Harold Hinson. Information and website produced by Sport Dimensions.