Edwards becoming a sponsor's dream
As Carl Edwards emerged from his No. 99 Ford Fusion at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, he couldn't decide whom to thank first.
His primary sponsor? His associate sponsors? His manufacturer? His Roush-Fenway Racing team?
Although Edwards didn't win the race 2 1/2 weeks ago at New Hampshire, site of the first leg of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, his third-place finish behind teammates Greg Biffle and Matt Kenseth was good enough to put him atop the Chase standings.
And, just as important, it gave him a platform to salute his multitude of sponsors.
"My guys did awesome," Edwards said. "Everything worked. The Vitamin Water even tastes good right now. It's cool to be leading the points. It's awesome for Greg Biffle and great for Office Depot, Ford, Aflac, everybody."
Everybody, indeed.
All those sponsors, and some others, contribute to the $20 million to $25 million a year it takes to put a Sprint Cup driver on the track, especially a title contender like Edwards, who at 29 and in his fifth season, is smoking hot.
Next to Dale Earnhardt Jr., Edwards might be NASCAR's most marketable and recognizable driver—though former champions Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart still have their star power. But maybe not for much longer.
Edwards scores high in The Davie Brown Index, an independent measure for brand marketers that determines a celebrity's ability to influence brand affinity and consumer purchases. Edwards' attribute average measuring awareness, appeal, influence and trust, among other characteristics, is 75.49, which is tops in NASCAR and better than golfing legend Tiger Woods (74.28), NFL quarterback Peyton Manning (71.63), cycling veteran Lance Armstrong (65.43), and baseball star Derek Jeter (64.28).
However, his overall awareness by consumers is just 10.29, compared with Woods' 99.36, Armstrong's 95.65, Manning's 82.54, Jeter's 75.33 and Earnhardt's 65.68. So what's that mean? Edwards might be a household name in NASCAR, but he could walk through a mall in California and not be recognized.
"While the general U.S. population is not fully aware of Carl, to know Carl Edwards, to be aware of Carl Edwards is to find him appealing and influential," said Ken Cohn of Millsport, a sports sponsorship consultant.
"He scores high in appeal. The problem is: As a brand, there is some work to do to get the general population to get to know about him. The more he is deployed in national advertising, the more people are aware of him."
