IRL fails to land title sponsor again

[pchall]

‘09 title sponsor hopes evaporate
November 19, 2008
Posted by aschoettle , trackback

Efforts to land an Indy Racing League title sponsor have turned to 2010. Just two months ago, IRL officials said a deal appeared imminent. In October, the economy stifled negotiations. Now, almost all hope is gone for landing a title sponsor any time in 2009.

“Unless a miracle falls out of the sky, I don’t think we’re going to sign a title sponsorship deal for 2009,” said Zak Brown, president of Just Marketing International, which was hired by the IRL to lead the title sponsor hunt. “We’re still hammering away at it. We’re not going to stop working just because of the economy. But marketers are being very cautious with their budgets.”

In early September, Brown promised to land an IRL title sponsor by Jan. 1, and said an eight-figure annual deal “was on the doorstep.”

ibj link (http://thescore.ibj.com/content/?p=640)


“I’m just glad I didn’t make a promise to run naked down the home stretch at Indy if the deal didn’t come through,” Brown said.

Must be a Patwreck Carbender fan. :)

[dando]

It'll be more fun in May when they try to fill the field and there aren't any $$$ available. I'll call it now: < 33 cars in the field for the 497.5.

-Kevin

[Don Quixote]

I am shocked, shocked I tell you. :laugh: Just wait until 2010, the sponsor that they land will be big, huge, enormous, beyond words humongous. Suffice it to say that the IRL has bottomed out and is headed into the clouds. I am so excited that I just wet my pants.

[NismoZ]

Maybe that Brazillion $$ Ethanol deal will open it up for about a dozen drivers from down there? The IRL, depleting the rainforests at 220mph! How's THAT Mamma Earth? (PS-See, Emmo sez that was all a Euro scare tactic, that sugar cane won't grow in the Amazon anyway, too humid, so he's on board big time. Maybe he gets his A1 team a Dallara or 2?)

[STD]

A ladder series not good enough for A1GP. :laugh:

[Insomniac]

It'll be more fun in May when they try to fill the field and there aren't any $$$ available. I'll call it now: < 33 cars in the field for the 497.5.

-Kevin

Cut back the purse, run extra cars.

I'm shocked they couldn't get a title sponsor!

[SurfaceUnits]

TOney already gets half of the field's prize money; if you paid for half of the cars, you could too

it's the only race that matters to earl; it will always have 33

[chop456]

it's the only race that matters to earl; it will always have 33

As a wise man once predicted, given the idiotgrandson's business acumen, it may soon have 43. :tony:

[Sean Malone]

As a wise man once predicted, given the idiotgrandson's business acumen, it may soon have 43. :tony:

:rofl:

[Michaelhatesfans]

Efforts to land an Indy Racing League title sponsor have turned to 2010. Just two months ago, IRL officials said a deal appeared imminent. In October, the economy stifled negotiations.

********. A deal of that size would have been inked before October. More likely, assuming that there ever was a deal pending, it died when they released that abysmal TV schedule.

[Napoleon]

I suspect that the economy is going to tear a big hole through the field this year. I can's see any company signing any new sponsorship deals for any amount of real money.

[pchall]

I suspect that the economy is going to tear a big hole through the field this year. I can's see any company signing any new sponsorship deals for any amount of real money.

Show up in May and you can qualify in your FV. :tony:

[Napoleon]

Show up in May and you can qualify in your FV. :tony:


I sold it. I may just have to rent it back.

[SurfaceUnits]

Just marketing lands eight figure sponsor deal, just not for firl

The fIRL hired him to find a title sponsor last year. He hasn’t managed that trick yet. His failure to land an IRL title sponsor hasn’t slowed his business much. Even in this rocky economy the easy speaking Brown continues to sign major clients and huge deals. Oddly, I still run into quite a few Zak Brown doubters in the sports marketing field. I’m not sure where the skepticism is born.

Today, Just Marketing announced it brokered a deal with LG Electronics and F1. You can bet there are a lot of zeroes on the pact’s bottom line. This comes at a time when a Charlotte-based motorsports marketing consultant told me nothing is doing in the sponsorship arena right now—nothing!

I’m told by sources in a position to know that the LG agreement is an easy eight-figure deal. Headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, LG has over 75 subsidiaries worldwide that design and manufacture televisions, home appliances, and telecommunications devices and over 83,000 Employees worldwide, with 2007 revenue of over $58 billion.

The agreement brokered by Brown means LG will have the following designations: Technology Partner of F1, Official Consumer Electronics of F1, Official Data Processor of F1, Official Mobile Phone of F1, A Global Partner of F1.

With so many Just Marketing successes, it’s almost easy to glaze over this one. But those are some very hefty categories worthy of a year’s worth of heavy lifting for some sports marketing firms. For Just Marketing, it’s just another Happy Thanksgiving.

http://thescore.ibj.com/content/?p=659

[Fio1]

BTW, that's the same Zak Brown who was a tailender in Formula Atlantics & British F3 in the 1990's. He now races in the Ferrari Challenge.

[nrc]

I sold it. I may just have to rent it back.

Ride buyer. :gomer:

[Napoleon]

So, any change in this story?

[SurfaceUnits]

Waste Management was rumoured, but they deal in garbage not crap. :laugh:

# Anthony Schoettle Says:
November 19th, 2008 at 2:34 pm

Here’s a little more on IRL’s title sponsor history. In early 1998, IRL signed a five-year deal with Philadelphia-based Pep Boys. The deal ended in a legal dispute two years later with IRL claiming Pep Boys didn’t promote the league as it said it would, among other complaints. So no, Pep Boys did not end up paying for the whole deal. Then in early 2000, IRL signed a five-year, $50 million deal with Cambridge, Mass.-based Northern Light. That deal ended in late 2001 when Northern Light ran into financial difficulty. The company later went out of business altogether. So, no, Norther Light didn’t pay the entire bill either.

[SurfaceUnits]

they are supposed to announce the 5 or 6 new engine manus by the end of the week.

[Methanolandbrats]

they are supposed to announce the 5 or 6 new engine manus by the end of the week.:rofl:

[Don Quixote]

:rofl: :rofl:
So many choices.

[Al Czervik]

they are supposed to announce the 5 or 6 new engine manus by the end of the week.

Briggs & Straton, Tecumseh, Kohler, Mayer, and Drake.

[SurfaceUnits]

Indy's own Edward's Engines and transmissions with Edward's mom as the face of indycar

[JLMannin]

How about Buick Indy V8, Menard, and Brayton Engines? Three badges for the same twenty years old recycled crap engine. Make some Vision and Foyt nameplates, and we have five.
:rofl:

[G.]

Briggs & Straton, Tecumseh, Kohler, Mayer, and Drake.God, I hope not. That would put them at Road America, most likely.

:shakehead

[Methanolandbrats]

How about Buick Indy V8, Menard, and Brayton Engines? Three badges for the same twenty years old recycled crap engine. Make some Vision and Foyt nameplates, and we have five.
:rofl: A whole grid of Menard Grenades :rofl: 90 % of the race would be yellow laps and they would have to buy oil dry by the ton.

[extramundane]

A whole grid of Menard Grenades :rofl: 90 % of the race would be yellow laps and they would have to buy oil dry by the ton.

Whoever on r.a.s.i back in the day coined the term "Grenard" still gets my undying appreciation. :rofl:

[patski]

God, I hope not. That would put them at Road America, most likely.

:shakehead

Agreed! We don't want them at RA.

[Methanolandbrats]

Agreed! We don't want them at RA. If the IRL doe'snt fold, it's only a matter of time till they show up. Double bill with ALMS?

[Indy]

Indy's own Edward's Engines and transmissions with Edward's mom as the face of indycar

Mari: "My son Tony -- he's such a nice boy!"