After reading this article, to learn more about
NASCAR Merchandise, visit
www.NASCAR-THINGS.com
From its modest origins in the South, NASCAR has grown to huge popularity across the whole country lately. From the beginning races run in 1948 to today's NEXTEL Cup and Busch series, NASCAR has become arguably the number one spectator sport in The United States, featuring 75 million fanatical fans.
From small local races in the Southland, NASCAR has become very big business today. With television revenues, sponsorship dollars, and licensed merchandise sales, NASCAR generates large bucks today. NASCAR merchandise sales now have exploded to top $2 billion annually and the markets continue to stay impressive. This is built on a 250% increase from 1995 to 2004.
Those who keep an eye on the sport ascribe several factors to its’ success. Decades of history and a grass roots beginning are a few of the factors given for the sport’s success. The roots of the sport in the “bootlegging” days and the humble background of many of it’s first champions seems to be a positive factor to buffs in this day of the spoiled, babied, cocky pro athlete.
The NASCAR recipe is one that no other spectator sport uses. Each Week, the top teams (drivers) are fighting directly against each other. Unlike, for example the NFL, where you could have to wait several weeks for that exciting competition, at a NASCAR race, you can view number 1 fighting number 2 every week. It’s practically like having the World Series of this sport every week.
Surprisingly, 40% of today’s race fans are women and 53% work in white-collar or skilled labor jobs. And even with this variety, the counts continue to be solid; annual attendance at courses is above 7 million and over 275 million People view on tV.
The NASCAR brand is recognized around the world as a preeminent sports property. More Fortune 500 businesses use investment in NASCAR racing than any other sport. Landor Associates was quoted in December 2004 as saying “NASCAR was the number6 brand in 2004 and is forecast to be the #2 brand in 2005, in front of Google and iPod,”
Race buffs seem to have a great appetite for merchandise that shows backing for their preferred driver, whether it is by donning NASCAR apparel, grabbing accessories for their car or sport utility, or even decorating their residence.
NASCAR clocks, blankets, bed sheets and wall tapestries are popping up in homes everyplace.
Clothes such as
colorful NASCAR
jerseys, jackets, t-shirts, etc appear to be flourishing in popularity as product producers roll out expanded items and are even including more higher value products like leather jackets and specialty things like jewelry. The true fanatic can even outfit the entire family with new introductions of entire
NASCAR kids clothing and youth lines.
While the NASCAR diecast marketplace has slowed recently, it is still respectable in strength. As drivers change their paint schemes, it lets product producers to develop the merchandise several times over in this segment and that helps keep gross revenue from dipping too much.
Within the big NASCAR product market, robust sub markets turn up.
NASCAR collectibles have become huge merely by themselves. A potpourri of products from plaques and autographed photos to diecast cars are gobbled up, partially due to growth, but also in hope of growth in value for the collectables market.
Where will it all stop? I don’t imagine we know, but when I see corporate secretaries getting into
popular NASCAR hats and white collar managers getting into
snazzy NASCAR shirts with photographs of “Junior” plastered on them, I wonder if there is a limit to this arena.
