The place for all INDYCAR fans

I am Indy

I was just watching the video on the home page, and wondering, Is it just me, or is "I am Indy" lame? I think the slogan is boring, and the song is even worse. Did they get Gary Glitter to sing that? It does nothing for me.

I am not a NASCAR fan at all, but have to give them credit for some of their commercials, especially the one that used "Ring of Fire".

0 members like this

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by The RPC on February 22, 2008 at 10:23pm

no, but i think you are on to something. nascar tends to promote in that homogeneous American white good ol' boy demographic, and i think that is what helps differentiate indy car. in my opinion, indy car is the intelligent alternative, and i think alot of that is due to the diversity of the drivers. the assumption is that we need to 'steal back' the market and fans from nascar, but i kind of think that IRL attracts a different fan base. So instead of using the same tactics, lets promote what makes Indy Car great. the high tech machinery, the diverse field, the speed, the skills.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by KoHoSo on February 23, 2008 at 10:15am

I'm going to disagree with you slightly in a couple of areas. I don't know if I would want to go with the outlook of IndyCar being the "intelligent alternative" to NASCAR. In my mind, that not only sets up a cultural and regional divide, but it also makes fans think they have to choose between one or the other instead of possibly being a fan of both.

I must also disagree about promoting international diversity, and I don't do so with any joy. Even with the increasing immigration into the United States, I still believe that most Americans (including news media) are not going to re-embrace IndyCar until they can identify with a majority of its participants. Sadly, I don't think I can blame them when we've gone through 12+ years of foreign ride buyers while good American dirt and road racers have been left sitting on the sidelines or forced into stock cars.

However, I completely agree that the focus should be to promote what makes IndyCar great. That's what NASCAR did in the 1980's and 1990's, and it's what almost any smart marketing strategy involves. It won't be easy, and it will never get back to what it was because the sports and entertainment world has changed so much since 1996. But, I think there's an opening for great improvement if only the reunified IndyCar will take full advantage of it...especially of the "Car of Templates" in NASCAR doesn't fix that series' recent lack of passing on non-superspeedways.

JMHO.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Tabatha Patterson on February 24, 2008 at 3:14pm

I totally agree with Kyle. They really need to change the way they are marketing themselves or it really doesn't matter what their slogan/logo is. The only people who currently see their ads are already fans.