Budweiser to upgrade sponsorship

[Schwartz Fan]

Budweiser to upgrade sponsorship of Kahne's team

By Marty Smith
ESPN.com

The sale of Anheuser-Busch Inc. to Belgian brewer InBev will not affect its NASCAR marketing program. And in fact, the Budweiser motorsports program is expanding in 2009, according to the company's senior marketing team.

Tony Ponturo, Anheuser-Busch vice president of sports marketing, told ESPN.com on Thursday that A-B has signed a multi-year extension to continue its longstanding tradition as sponsor of the season-opening Budweiser Shootout at Daytona. The length of the new deal was not disclosed.

A formal announcement should come next week, Ponturo said. There had been speculation that the 30-year relationship would end following the 2008 edition of the race, which was originally run in 1979 and dubbed the Busch Clash. It was renamed the Bud Shootout in 1998 before earning its current distinction, the Budweiser Shootout.

"We were there when it wasn't fashionable to be there," Ponturo said. "Why walk away from what works?"

Budweiser will also upgrade its sponsorship of Kasey Kahne's World of Outlaws team from secondary to primary, Ponturo said.

"It's another way to enforce that this is not a company that's backing off, it's staying aggressive and will continue to support Kasey, the No. 9 team and some of the things that surround his association [with Budweiser]," Ponturo said. "We're going to be the primary sponsor.

"Not only do we think [World of Outlaws] has a lot of merit for us in the marketplaces it goes, and really is associated fully with Budweiser, but it's also a way for us to say [to Kahne], 'Hey, let's deepen the relationship.'

"We'll lean on him to do a few more appearances and help out with some things. That's how a true partnership works. We're still very bullish. The one thing we're hearing loud and clear from this new organization is that things that are working will continue to be a big part of our plan, and clearly NASCAR is working."

Asked how return-on-investment is calculated concerning the NASCAR program, Ponturo pointed to bar flags and five-foot slabs of smiling cardboard.

"One way we can measure it is if our wholesalers and our retailers want Budweiser No. 9 Kasey Kahne point-of-sale material up in their store, in their bars, building displays," he said. "That's a major signal that they think it helps sell beer. If all the sudden they were distancing themselves, like, 'Well, we know Kasey, but we don't want that.' That would put your antennas up.

"But they've embraced it. Of all sports, of anything we do, the most thorough, full-sprint, fearless program in our system is our NASCAR involvement. So does that tell us it sold one more beer from a mathematical standpoint? No. But does it tell us that the system embraced it to sell Budweiser? Yes. That's a good measurement for us."

Sports marketing, in general, works for Anheuser-Busch. Always has. And in the current economy, where folks are more apt to stay home and watch games, that institution is only bolstered.

"We're there in a big way, with the contracts we secured recently and in the past," said Dave Peacock, Anheuser-Busch vice president of marketing. "And I think for our company, frankly, we were a strong company, and now we're one of the top-five consumer product companies in the world, given the combination of Anheuser-Busch/InBev.

"We told our employees, that comes with a lot of stability and a lot of certainty for the long term. That allows us the flexibility to invest and keep doing what we're doing. We have long term deals, and a lot of things shored up through 2012. We do that for a reason. We like certainty in our plans."

Peacock said InBev never questioned the massive sports marketing budget -- estimated at more than $370 million last year -- that Anheuser-Busch shells out.

"They understand how powerful sports is as a connection with consumers, and everything they're about is finding ways to connect more with the consumer," Peacock said. "They see sports as a real driver for the business moving forward."

One question mark for A-B executives -- and certainly for NASCAR fans -- heading into 2008 was how Kahne would adapt to the Budweiser brand. For nine seasons Dale Earnhardt Jr. was the face of the brand, a blue collar, working man's brand. Kahne, meanwhile, is perceived as one of NASCAR's pretty boys.

"He's fit into the brand extremely well," Ponturo said. "A lot of people don't know the real Kasey, but he's a cool guy. I would say anybody who wants to be macho, get in a car and drive 180 mph -- that's about as macho as it gets. So those that wondered about that kind of element in him ...

"He also has a great female following, which makes the brand more co-ed, and in this digital technology age, he also has a modern style about him. All those things help the image of Budweiser. Probably as important as anything, you want your wholesaler system, your distribution system, your employees, to all feel good about that association, and he's done a tremendous job with that. You can't fake that.

"I've been around other drivers, and even drivers from other teams, and he's real sincere and appreciates the relationship, realizes it's a two-way street, wants to learn about the company, asks a lot of the questions [the media are] asking, not only for his own knowledge, but some when [the media] ask, he has an educated position about the company. He's the real deal, in our opinion. And he's delivering on the track, as well."

Kahne is currently ranked 11th in the Sprint Cup Series standings, with two points victories and a win in the All-Star Challenge.

"Just a cherry on top," Ponturo said.

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