Few things can be as dangerous as a sense of entitlement. Because frankly, if Reality wanted to know what you think you’re entitled to, It would beat it out of you with a commercial table saw of some kind. And then laugh dismissively & continue on not caring about what you feel you deserve.
Not everyone learns this lesson, but I did. I did indeed.
Because my senior year in high school, I received a full scholarship to play basketball in college. All those miserable summer games in 128-degree gyms & 9,000-degree blacktops … all the horrible travel & missed opportunities & gruesome floor burns … all the work & the injuries & the stupid, never-ending ball-handling drills … they were all about to pay off. Finally. My thoughts of what I felt I was owed were not subtle:
AT LONG LAST, I AM A DIVISION I BASKETBALL PLAYER. Unimaginable perks & co-eds will flow like Powerade, and we will stay only in the plushest Four Seasons – never the questionable ones. Nike will outfit us handsomely & chartered jets will ferry us to & from our destinations, and those jets will be filled with rich mahogany & fine liquors. We will dine like wealthy shipping merchants & and otherwise bask in the dignified glow of the Division I Life.
As it turned out, I was a remarkably awful collegiate basketball player & our program continuously teetered on the brink of bankruptcy. I quickly learned that this wasn’t Duke or Florida or Michigan State I was playing for — this was a very mid-major university facing the same economic challenges that EVERY OTHER mid-major does. We stayed in dilapidated Ho-Jo’s & Motel 6′s & various roadside shitbaskets, sometimes four to a room. We bussed anywhere within a 38-hour drive, and if we ever did get to eat, it’d be at a gas station or Golden Corral. Our uniforms were made of reclaimed rawhide, I think, and breathed like a COPD patient. Handsome, they were not. Oh — and pitifully, we once played a regular season game in a hotel ballroom with ZERO spectators in attendance.
It was everything I imagined the Division I life being, only the complete & utter opposite. (So long, sense of entitlement!! Hello, petty crimes to make ends meet!!)
It was a sad state of affairs, alright, hardly capable of getting worse. OH BUT IT DID!!! Because twice a year, the cold reality of our plight would rear its ugly head & thrash us with billy clubs. Billy clubs made of shame. Because twice a year, our Athletic Director would round us up for our Semiannual Fundraising Telethon, where we’d cold call alumni & boosters & random town folk and hit them up for cash. There we’d sit, in some depressing conference room with 20 telephones & 20,000 numbers to harass. We’d be huddled up like some sorry-ass gang of orphaned bootshines in a Charles Dickens novel — all disheveled & probably gout-stricken — begging strangers for our continued survival. The phone calls reflected this grim truth:
G’ eveining, sir — my name is Roy Hobbson, and I’m the 37th-string point guard for your Fightin’ [REDACTED]s!! Say, mister, can you spare $200 so that our team can buy basketball shoes & food?
Was it demoralizing & awful? Oh, totally. But was it necessary? Sadly, yes. Absolutely. We had no delusions about that. Such is life at the bottom rung of the NCAA ladder.
I only bring this up because some people think that the whole IZOD/IndyCar/Playboy marketing-triangle is also demoralizing & awful & that they’re raping our country blind with their SLUTTY SORCERY & SUGGESTIVE COME-HITHER POSES! They aren’t, of course. Not even remotely. But pretend that they are. Pretend that these lovely ladies are terrible she-devils hellbent on whoring up America & dismantling our Space Program for one reason or another. Would it still be necessary then?
Sadly, yes. Absolutely. Such is life along these bottom rungs of professional sports.
Clearly, we’re not the NFL. We’re not the NBA. We’re barely Major League Soccer – and even that might be a stretch. We can’t just turn down MASSIVE exposure on a puritanical whim. We don’t have that luxury. And make no mistake, this Playboy thing is generating all kinds of exposure. Consider this: by the end of this week, the number of people who will have watched that video will far exceed the number of viewers of EVERY RACE THIS YEAR COMBINED. It is exposure on an almost unfathomable scale. And to replicate it naturally — without Playboy or IZOD’s marketing wizards — Danica would have to go all Chaz Bono & “switch teams” & promptly go on a 9-state felony spree. Or simply win a race. Whichever comes first.
It would be nice if this weren’t the case. It would be ideal if we could just sit back & wait for the masses to come to us organically — for them to realize on their own that our product is entertaining & sexy & far superior to all other forms of racing. Then we could simply pick & choose only the most responsible marketing tools that would also reach billions of people. That would just be THE CAT’S PAJAMAS! Of course, it’s also woefully naive & delusional & just overflowing with a false sense of entitlement. We’re in no position for such things. Rather, we’re in the unenviable position of TAKING IT ANY WAY WE CAN GET IT — and even then, in the grand scope of things, there are far worse ways to sell our sport & keep us afloat. (I’m looking at you, tasteless Juggs Magazine spread involving vats of mustard & a harpoon. You too, IndyCar Fundraising Telethon on local television station WMBH-40.)
Listen, this is a good problem to have. It’s a phenomenal problem, really. Because as we debate the philosophical & societal aspects of sex in marketing, 38 million people are thankfully being exposed to our brand. And they’re instantly associating us with sexy & cool & (mild) edginess — and perhaps their interest will be piqued. The prudish Lutheran elders among us will howl with disgust, of course, just like they never did the previous 9 trillion times racing & sex appeal were packaged together. But so be it. I’m not interested in judging their morals, nor they in judging mine — it’s boring & pointless & nothing good can come of it.
Rather, I’m focused on the fact that IZOD is taking us to parts unknown. The buzz they’re capable of generating is unlike anything we could’ve imagined three (or even two) years ago, and we should be nothing but grateful. And also tremendously excited for where this all is heading. But perhaps your sense of righteous decency demands that we not take this route. Maybe your sense of entitlement tells you that IndyCar need not resort to such “lowly” measures — that our product alone will carry the day, and that we deserve nothing less. To which I’d say, few things would be more dangerous.
The road to Defunctville is paved with delusions.
By todd, August 25, 2010 @ 3:46 pm
nice willy t…we need you to replace jenkins in the booth!
By Mark, August 25, 2010 @ 4:03 pm
Of course, the prudish Lutheran elders also crapped bricks every year when Linda Vaughn and her twin Hurst-ettes (the girls) rode around the Speedway during the pre-race ceremonies…at least the prudish female Lutheran elders did. The men just pretended to…
By madtad1, August 25, 2010 @ 4:11 pm
As a side-question: why did indycar.com take all of the cool commentary links off of their website? To add a challenge to my day? To truly make us “have to hunt you down like a dawg”? To really piss me off????? 8-/
OK, where do I take my pitchfork and torch to get you back on their website?
By Jason McVeigh, August 25, 2010 @ 4:28 pm
IZOD and Indycar deserve huge credit for doing ANYTHING to grow this sport and guess what? From a corporate standpoint, Playboy is a damn big brand name. Bigger than Nascar, Bigger than Indycar, bigger than almost every sponsor in both series so yes, Playboy opens a lot of doors to help grow the Indycar series and while I respect peoples opinions that may be opposed to Playboy, really, you need to get off your high horse because if you love Indycar racing then no doubt you want it to prosper and guess what, sports and sporting events survive by associating with good business partners and sponsors and to me, that seems to be what IZOD and Indycar are trying to do and they should be applauded for it as should Roy Hobbson for writing a brilliant Willy T. This week.
By BP, August 25, 2010 @ 4:29 pm
Would the IndyCar telethon on WHMB get bumped for that show where Billy Ray Cyrus plays a doctor? Maybe if Slick Leonard dropped a “Boom Baby” every time someone donated, it could work.
By BP, August 25, 2010 @ 4:30 pm
Second thought – who could drive a car faster on a road course: Hef or Milka Duno?
By Susan Rae, August 25, 2010 @ 4:44 pm
I am in no way puritanical and I don’t believe that “sex” and “morals” have to be at opposite ends of the spectrum. However, what a strange time we live in – on one hand we have Glass Hammer Racing working to get more girls involved in racing, and then on the other we have Izod IndyCar getting in to bed (Pun either intended or not, haven’t made up my mind yet) with a company who define women by the size of their breast implants.
There were a few pictures of Cameron and the imposter Izod girl at the Playboy site that I didn’t find objectionable. However there is a fine line, and I think you cross that line just merely by the fact that Playboy is involved.
By cappy, August 25, 2010 @ 4:46 pm
How dare you call Juggs Magazine tasteless! Their recent expose on girl/turtle porn was masterful.
By redd, August 25, 2010 @ 7:08 pm
Izod is doing an awesome job. The girls were clothed…okay, not fully, but clothed. So my favorite racing series has a serious and semi-hip sponsor. And I got to glance at cute girls who apparently appreciate Firestone tires as much as I do. Or maybe just a bit more. Win-win.
By Mikhail Danilov, August 25, 2010 @ 7:16 pm
Look, the race at Sonoma was yet again so excruciatingly boring that Mr. Hobbson didn’t even mention it once in the Sonoma report.
@BP – Hef, obviously. Or was that a rhetorical question?
By Tony Joseph, August 25, 2010 @ 8:32 pm
So, if those 38 million alleged people were, even in a very small percentage, drawn to the IICS this weekend due to this marketing project, then where are the heavily TV increased ratings numbers from Sonoma to prove it? The rule is, when the IICS doesn’t officially report their Versus ratings numbers when they are first released on Tuesday afternoon, it’s ALWAYS because they are lower than expected. The fact that Mr Hobbson has no actual proof to back up his claims of “buzz making” (confirmed by the lack of a press release about Sonoma ratings on indycar.com) shows how much of a Playboy laden fantasy this posting is.
By eir3, August 25, 2010 @ 8:36 pm
Perhaps the belt buckles on their puritanical hats were fastened too tightly thereby restricting blood flow…
Hey, Thanksgiving is coming up !
By Carrie, August 25, 2010 @ 8:59 pm
All y’all are missing the part where the men reading Playboy are actually interested in the written word and what the girls are wearing. All they care about is what they aren’t wearing.
The only people I’ve seen talking about it are people who already have an interest in the series. I most certainly don’t see Joe in LA or Idaho or Chicago buying a ticket to a race just because he saw Cameron in a bikini and thinks he might catch a glimpse in the paddock.
This sort of “publicity” is completely negligible and I don’t see why anyone would get their britches in a knot about it.
By Rick, August 25, 2010 @ 10:49 pm
First, I too take offense at the notion that Juggs magazine is “tasteless.”
More to the point, This is something. Which is better than what was before. The hit count on this particular video is pretty irrelevant. As are the number of billboards featuring these ladies and the incomplete Izod shirts they’re wearing. What does matter is that this video is out there. What does matter is that Will Power is in Verizon commercials. What does matter is that Danica Patrick is in those Peak commercials. What does matter was Helio’s appearance on “Dancing with the Stars.” All of these things together build exposure, gradually. While this video alone may or may not bring any one new fan to Indycar, it may prompt a memory of Helio, the image of “smokin’ hot Danica Patrick” (Thanks, guy next to me at Milwaukee last year), and will come to mind when Will Power’s car is parked in front of that diner. Slowly, gradually, an awareness of Indycar is building in pop culture and in the public consciousness. This makes it a viable choice of entertainment on TV, or a good event to go see when the series comes to town.
The point is, this stuff happens slowly. I can remember when nobody in the midwestern suburb I grew up in knew what NASCAR even was. It didn’t get to where it is overnight. The growth was slow and gradual-it was more than 10 years between the time I started watching and when it became a household name.
Take this bit of exposure, enjoy it if you’re in the demographic, tolerate or ignore it if you’re not (I don’t care for GoDaddy.com commercials, and I sure don’t buy Izod clothes), and we’ll move one step closer to mainstream acceptance.
I hope that made sense…
By Roy Hobbson, August 25, 2010 @ 11:23 pm
Look, the race at Sonoma was yet again so excruciatingly boring that Mr. Hobbson didn’t even mention it once in the Sonoma report. –Mikhail
That wasn’t by design. I got a bit carried away. The “intro” spun out of control, and quickly became “the entire WTR Report.” That’s my bad. And yes — I’m in dire need of an editor. I have no idea what I’m doing.
By Riss, August 26, 2010 @ 8:43 am
“So, if those 38 million alleged people were, even in a very small percentage, drawn to the IICS this weekend due to this marketing project, then where are the heavily TV increased ratings numbers from Sonoma to prove it?”
You dont rebuild a fallen empire overnight. This is a complete rebuild of a war ravaged city (think Atlanta circa 1865). So we go forward and do this brick by brick. So if a miniscule number (not enough to move the precious ratings meter for what is traditionally an awful race) are drawn in by, great. Thats a brick. If a few more people tune in to Chicago this week because those of us who are devoted tell everyone we know what an incredible show it always is, great. Another brick in the yard. It has to start somewhere, It has to start sometime, what better place than here, what better time than now (great lyrics from one of the best bands of the last 20 years).
There is a reason why I want Danica to win, even though I dont like her attitude nor do I cheer for her. She can bring in the publicity. God, do we need it. In any way, shape or form. Why not try this approach? Cant see the harm. Especially since the ladies involved arent naked. You see as much skin at your local Hooters.
By Tom G., August 26, 2010 @ 9:06 am
Wait, there were Firestone tires and Izod apparel in those pictures? Huh, I must have missed them.
(wipes drool from keyboard, tightens puritanical belt buckle hat.)
I for one am appalled. Appalled I say! That Indycar is getting in bed with Playboy! Why next they’ll be trying to take sponsorship money from companies making tobacco products, and the “devil’s water”!
Harumph.
By P Daddy, August 26, 2010 @ 9:55 am
I have Playboy Radio on Sirius in my car. When can I expect to hear the “3-way” interview with Danica, Milka and Simona? And for fun, we can throw IZOD Girl into the party anytime.
By Christopher Leone, August 26, 2010 @ 9:37 pm
Well, you know what they say… Always support the brands that keep your series afloat…
This may be the greatest “demonstration of support” I will ever make.
By Tony Joseph, August 27, 2010 @ 3:39 am
“You dont rebuild a fallen empire overnight. This is a complete rebuild of a war ravaged city (think Atlanta circa 1865). So we go forward and do this brick by brick. So if a miniscule number (not enough to move the precious ratings meter for what is traditionally an awful race) are drawn in by, great. Thats a brick. ”
Uh, Riss, you might want to try more math and less history next time. If only 1% of Roy’s alleged 38 million Playboy people tuned in to watch Sonoma due to the photoshoot’s “buzz” (380,000 viewers), the TV ratings would be more than double compared to what they were over the past two races and indycar.com would be surely crowing about it. Guess what? They aren’t talking and now three days since the ratings were released, Hobbson STILL doesn’t have the numbers (aka facts) to back up his (failed) theory. Is 1% crossover “miniscule” enough for you, Riss? What Hobbson claimed didn’t happen. I’m sorry to disrupt this Playboy fantasy with factual information. However, some of us still like to speak the truth even though we know some people won’t like us for doing it.
By Riss, August 27, 2010 @ 9:49 am
Wow, I dont want to start an internet war, or even the much more fun math vs history war, but I will say this.
I dont have the numbers of how many people watched Infineon this year, last year or any other year. I dont really know how it compares to other races on the circuit (I would guess its somewhere near the bottom, inconvenient start time, historical lack of exciting races, etc), either. All I was saying is that any sort of publicity helps at this point. Hell, even if EJ Viso goes on a ten state murder spree and the tries to take his spot on the grid Saturday, it might draw a few more eyeballs. And thats all we are hoping for here. Maybe a few hundred to a few thousand people look at the video and say, “hey Indycar, I thought that was dead”. And maybe they watch a little. So no, not 1%. Like I said were rebuilding here, its going to take time. But why not try some different things? I dont see where it can hurt.
By Rick, August 27, 2010 @ 3:21 pm
I don’t think very many people at all tuned in to Sonoma after seeing the Playboy video. Nor will they tune into Chicagoland. I can’t watch the video right now, but did it give a schedule? Start times?
The point is, this one marketing product will not make any one person tune into any one race. The correlation is not direct. Instead, I like the “brick by brick” analogy. Some people watch this video. They see commercials. They see faces on boxes. It all adds up slowly. Before they are even aware of it, they know about and want to watch Indycar races. This is not a fast process. It’s a very, very slow one. Yes, it’s very frustrating. Does a company throw in the towel if people don’t line up to buy their product after one commercial airs once? No, a brand has to be built up. Print ads run week after week, month after month. Commercials run incessantly until their message is pounded in your head.
Indycar needs to do something similar. Build up brand awareness through careful media saturation. Trouble is, that takes time. The good news is that they are doing something.
By Tony Joseph, August 27, 2010 @ 4:29 pm
Riss, “a few hundred or a few thousand people” viewing TV shows registers a rating of 0.0. To register the lowest reported rating (a 0.1), you must have approximately 160,000 extrapolated viewers (114,900 TV extrapolated households) watching your show. Shows or events that earn a 0.0 are said to have “zeroed out”. Hundreds of shows each week “earn” that distinction, especially those on specialty cable networks with niche appeal, like Versus.
As for IndyCar TV ratings for 2010, according to Sports Business Daily, here are the numbers in thousands of viewers through Mid-Ohio:
3/14 Sao Paulo Indy 300 Streets of São Paulo VS 411
3/29 Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg* Streets of St. Petersburg ESPN2 n/a (they’re not counting the Monday rain out since it was on an unscheduled network)
4/11 Indy Grand Prix of Alabama Barber Motorsports Park VS 310
4/18 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Streets of Long Beach VS 490
5/1 Road Runner Turbo Indy 300 Kansas Speedway ABC 969
5/30 Indianapolis 500 Indianapolis Motor Speedway ABC 5,793
6/5 Firestone 550k Texas Motor Speedway VS 518
6/20 Iowa Corn Indy 250 Iowa Speedway VS 400
7/4 Camping World Grand Prix at The Glen Watkins Glen International ABC 1,085
7/18 Honda Indy Toronto Streets of Toronto ABC 1,348
7/25 Honda Indy Edmonton Edmonton City Centre Airport VS 322
8/8 Honda Indy 200 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course VS 344
1% of the 38 million alleged Playboy viewers tuning in to Sonoma (380,000) would have more than doubled the TV viewership of Edmonton or Mid-Ohio and would have triggered an IICS press release announcing such a huge, fast increase. Like I said, when the TV numbers are bad, the IRL keeps quiet and we have to go to other sources for that info. Unfortunately, most media reporters don’t care about ratings under 500,000 viewers, so those results don’t get consistently reported. That’s why we don’t have the Sonoma ratings yet even though first cable ratings are released on Tuesday and final numbers come out on Thursday of each week.
Frankly Riss, if you really think that IZOD paid at least $10 million this year for IICS naming rights to get “a few hundred or a few thousand more people” to buy their apparel each race weekend, then you really are out of touch. IZOD paid for big results and want them yesterday. Getting “a few hundred or a few thousand people” out of Roy’s alleged 38 million Playboy readers would be a marketing failure for IZOD and the IICS. Let’s say for the sake of this discussion that IZOD paid Playboy $100,000 for this product placement photo shoot and sold “a few thousand” shirts for a total gross sales of $50,000. Does a $50,000+ loss (the loss is greater when you figure the net price of each shirt) really sound like positive “brick building” to you, Riss? It surely doesn’t to me.
When taking small steps to leap over a big pond, one will most likely be all wet at the end of the day. A minimum investment of $10 million is a pretty big pond, Riss. IZOD can’t spend that type of money and only get, at best, “a few thousand” impressions/sales in return for very long. That’s why they did the Playboy shoot and that’s why lack of proof of any “buzz” from it is important.
By Rick, August 27, 2010 @ 4:47 pm
But if you make enough small steps, you’ll eventually get across the pond, no matter how big it is. Don’t make any steps, however, and you’re stuck where you’re at looking across the way.
I’m not sure where you’re going with the $10 million number. That has (and will continue to) buy many, many thousands of impressions. Signage everywhere. Commercials that I swear are showing up on non-Indycar programming. Autograph sessions. My local department store. Playboy. (Unless you meant that the Playboy shoot cost $10 million?)The Playboy shoot is a drop in that bucket. A high-profile, exciting, and newsworthy drop, but a drop nonetheless.
To mix metaphors, Izod and the Indycar series are throwing pebbles into the pond to get to the other side. Yeah, it will take a lot of pebbles, but you have to start somewhere. I think this Playboy shoot is a boulder. It doesn’t make a huge difference in the long run, but it’s worth a lot of little pebbles.
Corporate America is using their money to help out. We want them to succeed. They want to succeed. Will they be patient enough? I hope so. If not, I’d still take their money and marketing muscle while it lasts.
By Riss, August 28, 2010 @ 12:51 am
So, other than writing really condescending posts on here (you used my name repeatedly, I kinda figured you were talking directly to me after the first time) what solutions would you bring to the table? All I said was that I am happy to see the sport I love trying new things to bring in new viewers.
If I greatly offended you by offering a counter point to your statement, I apologize. I tried to do it with respect. Just trying to figure out what it is I did to you here. Obviously its something since you felt the need to use my name 4 times in one post, in a way that seems to be done to either talk down to me or to make an ass out of me. Neither of which is truly necessary.
By The Speedgeek, August 28, 2010 @ 11:32 am
Yeah, I’m not sure I understand Mr. Joseph’s line of reasoning here. So, if Izod doesn’t see an immediate return on investment (he is claiming, after all, that a photoshoot posted on the internet on a Tuesday or a Wednesday should result in a huge uptick in TV numbers on the following Sunday) then the investment is not worth making at all? Things usually take more than 72-96 hours to imbed in peoples’ consciousness, and they usually take more than just one or two exposures. Like Rick and Riss, I feel like just about any exposure is good exposure right now (short of a Dale Sr. incident), and the process of rebuilding the profile of the series to something resembling what we had in the early-’90s is a long, long process. Izod knows that, and Mike Kelly has said exactly that in multiple interviews that I’ve heard. One photoshoot and one commercial campaign do not a long term relationship make. Just be patient, dude.
By Mikhail Danilov, August 28, 2010 @ 2:25 pm
Tone down the e-peen there, Mr. Joseph.
While he is somewhat of an ass, he does present some interesting numbers. The races on ABC are all at least half a million viewers stronger than Versus. Does that mean those half a million people don’t have Versus? Or does it mean that those half a million people are zombies that are just watching ABC no matter what’s on?
And frankly, if there is a zombie apocolypse coming, I think worrying about Playboy is a moot point.
By Tony Joseph, August 30, 2010 @ 4:40 am
Actually TS, Roy was the first person here to claim that the “Playboy” photo shoot was creating a “buzz” that would have an immediate affect from Sonoma on. I just asked that he back up his fantasy claims with factual proof of it. Guess what? The silence on that request is deafening, especially now that we’ve had another race since Sonoma. FWIW, the info I’ve been able to find on a Sonoma TV rating shows that it actually went DOWN from Mid-Ohio by about 100,000 viewers. So much for Roy’s fantasy Playboy “buzz” adding interest in the series race broadcast that weekend. Could it be that a connection with Playboy may have actually driven some people (aka mothers and their young daughters) away from the IndyCar broadcast? I don’t know, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it did have an affect.
Mikhail, what the higher number of ABC viewers outside of the 500 means is that more people receive ABC than Versus. According to industry estimates, approximately 115 million households have ABC available where only about 75 million households (once DirecTV brought them back on the service) have Versus available. ABC has a 40 million household head start on Versus under perfect conditions. Just in case you’re interested, ESPN is in about 100 million households. That means 25% of viewers who could watch an IndyCar race on ESPN in 2008 cannot currently watch it on Versus. There are even cable households in the Indianapolis area that don’t have Versus available. Of the 500,000 viewer difference you site between ABC and Versus, probably 200,000-250,000 of that number don’t watch because Versus is not available to them.
Riss, when this started, you were talking about IZOD being successful with “a few hundred to a few thousand” sales. Now, you’re talking more my language with the “many, many thousands of impressions” line. That latter version, not the former, is what will keep IZOD and PVH stock holders happy. Again, all I was asking Roy to do was to back up his “buzz” claim with proof. He says there was “buzz” but can’t back it up with an industry accepted accounting of popularity (TV ratings). If it’s my fault that Roy made that up, then THAT is offensive to me.
Finally, if Roy or indycar.com had a problem with the attitude of any of my posts, then they easily could have deleted any of them and kept them away from the sensibilities of any wannabee Internet blog comment moderators posting here. If you disagree with that choice, perhaps they are the ones you should be complaining to, not me. I’m sorry if calling BS on Roy’s claim and asking for proof offended anyone. Sometimes when expecting and respecting the truth, eyeballs get scratched in the process.
Oh and Mikhail, here’s a little free advice. Next time you tell someone to “tone down the e-peen there”, it makes you look less pathetic if you don’t call that person an “ass” in the very next sentence. Should I do as you say and not as you do or instead just turn my head and laugh.
BTW, did anyone notice how hard the camera operator was working to try and keep IZOD Trophy Girl #1 (Cameron Haven) OUT of the background in the Chicagoland Victory Lane? She had to move several times just to earn her paycheck and show us her “skills”. If there was such a “buzz” about the IZOD Trophy Girls in Sonoma, then how come Versus didn’t apparently get the memo on that by the next race in Chicagoland six days later?
By Rick, August 30, 2010 @ 10:53 am
What is the definition of a “buzz”? What is the finite value of “buzz”? How quickly does “buzz” work?
“Buzz” is a word that, by its very sound, implies imprecision. No one is suggesting that the Playboy video created x amount of interest or manufactured y new fans. It got/gets/will get people talking (“buzzing”). Fans like us will send the video to our friends. Fans of Playboy and Izod will send the video to their friends. Those friends will watch the video and take away an impression-an impression that may or may have an immediate effect. This “buzz” is impossible to measure, unless you can record every single individual email, tweet, forward, verbal mention, thought, and smoke signal that everyone on earth has ever had on the subject.
Was there an immediate effect? Maybe. On the other hand, the weather in my part of the country was absolutely beautiful while Sonoma was running. In fact, I spent most of the commercial breaks working on household projects. Were my family around, it’s doubtful I’d have been in the house, if home at all.
My point is, “buzz” is impossible to measure, least of all by tv ratings. I’d be curious to see the ratings for Chicago-the evening start time should mean that more eyeballs are available to watch TV, and the venue is probably more popular and a better show for TV. Again, not that ratings would tell all, but they might give a better indication.
By The Speedgeek, August 30, 2010 @ 10:58 am
I hate to up the snark factor here (wait, no I don’t…I never hate to up my snark factor), but could you quote to us the part where Roy said that “the ‘Playboy’ photo shoot was creating a “buzz” that would have an immediate affect from Sonoma on”? Because what I read is that Roy said, “The buzz [Izod is] capable of generating is unlike anything we could’ve imagined three (or even two) years ago”. That’s where our disconnect is happening here. We (me, Rick, Riss, and Roy in his original post) are all saying that Izod is “capable” (Roy’s actual word) of creating buzz for the Series are we are all encouraged by the new and increased measures that they’re already taking. You’re not, I guess because we haven’t seen an immediate uptick in TV numbers. That’s your right, I suppose, even if I think that’s kind of shortsighted. Whatever, free country.
Meanwhile, while we’re here, tell us: what’s your marketing solution? You play “Izod Marketing Executive In Charge of Izod IndyCar Series Account” for the day. What do you do? More print ads featuring RHR? TV spots featuring Graham Rahal and a snifter of brandy (or EJ Viso and a snifter of transmission fluid)? Billboards on all East-West Interstates featuring looping video highlights of races and house music being piped through speakers at 128 dB? Torch the warehouse that holds all of the existing Izod IndyCar merch and an act of urination into the middle of the table at the next PVH board of directors meeting? What say you?
By Christopher Leone, August 30, 2010 @ 12:35 pm
If it were me in charge, I’d offer Graham Rahal $1 million to grow a mustache and try to get him to become the next Old Spice guy.
On a more serious note, I like the idea of more business-to-business partnerships like this. Element of Speed has a great article discussing the Izod-Playboy thing, and the connections between those two brands and people who have a face in the series.
If I’m in charge of the Izod IndyCar account, I’m looking for more “edgy” companies to work with. Because let’s be honest – one of the best ways to generate the “buzz” to which everybody has been referring is to partner with other companies and entities that have a history of doing it.
That’s where my Old Spice idea comes from. That’s why I’d like to see RHR in a Playboy-backed car (not like they haven’t sponsored a racecar in an American racing series before – Grand-Am featured a Playboy car a couple years back). That’s why I want the energy drinks back, or at least stepping up their commitment. (Red Bull may not be interested, but if we could just get NOS to throw more money behind Wheldon and Monster to back Tracy…)
By Tony Joseph, September 3, 2010 @ 12:49 pm
TS, my IZOD marketing strategy is be simple:
DON’T SPEND A MINIMUM OF $10 MILLION ANNUALLY TO ADVERTISE $25 T-SHIRTS TO AN AUDIENCE OF 350,000 PEOPLE.
Have you ever heard of a company being profitable while spending $28 per person on advertising to sell a $25 retail item? Not me and I’m a third generation entrepreneur (aka business owner). At best, the IndyCar Series is a write off for IZOD and PVH. At worst, its a disaster for them.
Rick, in my very first comment, I called Roy’s article a “Playboy laden fantasy”. You now call it a statement on “capable buzz” from IZOD. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that we actually agree with each other and that you’re just arguing semantics for sport. WHAT ROY “REPORTED” WAS A LIE. I just wanted Roy to come up with proof that even any type of “capable buzz” truly existed. How many days has it now been since Sonoma with no official acknowledgment of the TV ratings? My numbers say that they dropped by 100K viewers. What do yours say? I offered one of the few ways to count “capable buzz” and, to date, nobody connected with this website has had to guts to put up the real numbers to prove this fantasy theory. That’s because it wasn’t true.
FWIW, the IRL currently has a CEO who spent last week talking about bringing Americana and the roots of USAC back to the series. This week, he was talking about traveling to Europe to bring in European manufacturers in 2012. Nothing says Americana in racing more than Honda and Ferrari engines powering an Italian designed tub with a British aero kit bolted on, doesn’t it? Putting a few more ‘muricans (especially a disgraced one like Steve Hmiel) in that international Frankenstein will REALLY fix everything? 15-20 million people are just dying to see that combination by 2012? REALLY?!?!?!? Folks, I hear what the IRL is saying. I just don’t know which of their faces stuff like this comes out of any more. When some people stop liking Randy Bernard just because he’s not Tony George, the truth will eventually become clear for all to see.
By Rick, September 3, 2010 @ 7:10 pm
I’ve never heard of a company spending $28 to sell $25 shirts, but then I don’t know what Izod’s strategy is. I haven’t been in the boardroom. I’m not their marketing guy. Someone there has an idea and it involves spending money on my favorite sport. I’m not going to complain about that or question it.
I don’t think Roy lied. I don’t think I changed my tune. I don’t think I’m agreeing with you. My point is: You CAN’T measure buzz. It’s impossible. Roy can’t come up with proof because he can’t-and neither can anyone else (my apologies in advance if Superhuman Roy comes up with proof). No one will give you the numbers you want because they don’t exist. You want to quantify an intangible. I’m really sorry, but that isn’t going to happen. I’m just going to trust the Izod marketing guys to know what they’re doing. If so, great, they’re spending money on and expanding our favorite sport. If not, well, they’re spending money on and trying to expand our favorite sport. Which is better than what we’ve had.
Regarding your last paragraph, are European companies necessarily incompatible with “Americana”? Is the Indy 500 “Americana”? Look into names like Ferrari, Maserati, Lotus, Porsche, and Mario Andretti. Some of whom even teamed with all-Americans like the Ford Motor Company and Dan Gurney.
I’m not sure what you’re angry about, or what the truth you’re looking for is. I see people and companies trying and spending money and making more progress than anyone has in a long time. I’m willing to accept all that for what it is and be optimistic that the visions and marketing plans involved will take the sport forward.
By Tony Joseph, September 3, 2010 @ 10:17 pm
1. Profits that come from “buzz” are counted everyday, Rick. There are none here to count. That’s the difference between “real buzz” and “capable buzz”.
2. The reason you’re now trusting the IZOD marketing guys to do a good job marketing the IICS is because the IRL has been so clueless at it for so long. Just for a second, replace IZOD with the name Gene Simmons. Outsiders who know nothing about racing don’t always put the series they are marketing first, Rick. Every major sports league has its own commercials IN ADDITION to commercials from their big sponsors. The fact that the IRL doesn’t do that proves that they are, at best, minor league. When you hope for somebody else to do your own bragging, it rarely works out.
By The Speedgeek, September 4, 2010 @ 8:17 am
Dude, let me reiterate: Mike Kelly has said multiple times that this is a years long process. Izod is not expecting to see a return on their investment this year because they’re building their relationship and the profile of the IndyCar series from basically zero. What they’re hoping to do (I assume) is to sell maybe 250,000 shirts this year, but then to selll 1,000,000 $25 t-shirts two years from now. It’s called “investing in the future”. You seem to be saying (over and over again) that Izod is stupid for what is probably a shortfall this year, but you’re ignoring (over and over again) that this is a multiple year process. Like Rick, I’m happy that they’re here.
Wait, what? Replace “Izod” with “Gene Simmons”? A guy who wrote an annoying song and showed up at maybe two races in his 3-4 year relationship with the Series (and was being paid all the while) is supposed to be compared with a company who’s putting up 8-figures of their own money? Why? I don’t get your argument there at all.
By Tony Joseph, September 16, 2010 @ 11:57 pm
TS, basically half of the grid doesn’t have the time (aka money) to wait several years for IZOD’s possible profit to kick in. So too do PVH’s stockholders not have the patience for that. If “Outsiders who know nothing about racing don’t always put the series they are marketing first” doesn’t explain the IZOD to Gene Simmons switch I listed to you, then this discussion is probably over your head.
Just to bring this back to Roy’s false Playboy buzz claim, did anybody notice that IZOD Trophy Girl was lurking NOT in the Victory Circle background at Kentucky? If the Playboy “buzz” Roy claimed existed, then why would she (or her Playboy twin) be missing just a few weeks later? Could it MAYBE be that I was right and Roy was wrong? I’m sorry if some of you “experts” can’t handle that. On second thought, no I’m not. Opinions are great except for when you don’t have the facts to back them up.
By The Speedgeek, September 17, 2010 @ 10:46 am
Oh, my. That last line of yours…I’m suffocating underneath the irony of that.
YOU are the one switching arguments. You were claiming before that Izod are idiots for wasting their time and money with what they are doing. Now that I’ve pointed out that Izod THEMSELVES have said all along that what they are doing has been their IndyCar sponsorship strategy since day 1, you’re going to say that the reason that Izod is being stupid is because the teams are broke? Wow, I wasn’t aware that Izod is directly beholden to the teams and the teams’ disparate whims as far as their marketing strategy. The teams have been working on going broke for years, for long before Izod has been in this conversation. Izod, as you do correctly point out, is beholden to Izod. Um, OK. Fine. It is their job to market however they see fit, and it’s great if what they do brings extra eyes to our sport. I just…I don’t get what you are suggesting. Turn down Izod’s $10 million yearly sponsorship (if that is what it is)? Tell them not to hold big parties and to not bother to have Marky Mark and other celebrities come out to races or events? Was IndyCar supposed to say “no, thanks, we’re going to wait until some other Fortune 500 company comes along to sponsor us”? Is it not in IndyCar’s best interests to have Izod spend their money here and to engage Izod as a long-term sponsor who can help the sport out for years and years?
You’re going to tell me that if I don’t understand the parallel with Izod and Gene Simmons that I’m incapable of understanding? You’re right. I am incapable of understanding your entire argument. However, my incapacity for understanding probably doesn’t stem from the reason that you think it does (i.e. my being a little simple in the ol’ brain).
By Tony Joseph, October 8, 2010 @ 4:58 am
Barely two weeks after TS said I didn’t have the facts to back up my claim that IZOD was spending too much money on the IICS to get back a decent return, they announced that they are pulling full livery sponsorship from RHR/Andretti’s #37 for at least 2011 and 2012. I have my facts now verified by the actions of a multi-billion dollar company. TS apparently only has the rumblings he creates after eating a burrito. Yes TS, since you were too stupid to understand anything I posted, IZOD decided to create an example so simple, even you could understand it. That assumes, of course, that you WANT to understand it. Many of Randy Bernard’s cheerleaders, of which I think TS is one, haven’t reached that point in their 12 step program yet.
In conclusion, IZOD got so much positivity from Roy’s fake Playboy photo shoot “buzz” that they decided to cut back what they spent on the IICS in next two years by several million dollars. Are there any questions for me from people capable of, and willing to, understand the truthful answer I give you?
PS: Having IZOD Trophy Girl’s firesuit half unzipped at the new championship trophy unveiling didn’t exactly distract people from making dozens of negative comments about how ugly and stupid it was, did it? Once again, selling that sex appeal by IZOD didn’t work. Maybe TS was too busy drooling over “them thar big hooterz” to notice that.
By The Speedgeek, October 8, 2010 @ 10:31 am
You’re a delight. I enjoy how I’m trying to keep this a civil argument, but now you’ve insulted me about six times. Yes, that’s the sort of talk that’ll sway people over to your side.
One more time: go back up there and re-read every word that I, Roy, Rick and Riss said. Not once did any of us claim that the Playboy shoot would turn into instant ratings success. We have all said that it is one of many things that Izod is doing to increase visibility of their brand, and by extension, the IndyCar series. The instant TV ratings uptick is something that YOU claimed (or, more accruately, claimed that we were claiming) would happen.
As for what’s going on with the RHR/AA #37 sponsorship, I don’t know what’s going on there. After listening to last night’s Trackside show, it sounds like maybe Izod is asking RHR to look for another team where he’d be able to get better value for their money (i.e. a team where operating costs are lower, as it’s been documented by Curt Cavin, TrackSide Online, and maybe others, that Andretti may cost considerably more to run with on a per-race basis). Maybe Izod is looking to give Ryan $1 million for a race deal so that they can reapportion the rest of whatever they might have been planning on spending on Ryan’s race deal elsewhere (more parties for Marky Mark to attend? More billboards? More national print advertising? TV ads during the Super Bowl?). I don’t know, because I wasn’t in the meeting where they made that call. Or, maybe you’re right, and this is the start of Izod pulling cash out of the sport. BUT, unless you were sitting in the PVH meeting where these decisions were made, you don’t have any more first hand knowledge than I do (because if you did, I think you’d have said so). Maybe something bad is afoot, but maybe something good is instead?
My point, as almost always: relax. Take a deep breath. We’ll know what all of this means eventually, but it won’t be today or this week. We (you, me, bloggers, internet commenters) don’t need to know today or this week. We’ll know in due time. Or, I suppose you can continue to freak out and I’ll just keep sitting in my corner, apparently being dumb and eating burritos.
By Tony Joseph, October 11, 2010 @ 5:17 pm
“I don’t know what is going on there” – The Speedgeek
Barely three weeks ago, TS claimed that I didn’t know what I was talking about when he said that IZOD had a rock solid multi-year plan to profitability with the ICS. Now, he STILL claims that I don’t know what I’m talking about by GUESSING that IZOD is changing that rock solid plan by trying to reallocate money being spent in the project. Amazingly, TS has the unmitigated gall to claim that I’m the one who changed my statements and that he hasn’t. Whatever.
1. I was the one who challenged Roy’s claim that there would be a buzz among millions of Playboy readers/Internet viewers that would swing into an uptick of popularity for the IICS after Sonoma. The ratings and attendances at IICS events after Sonoma FACTUALLY prove that didn’t happen.
2. I was the one who said that IZOD was currently spending too much money on the IICS to ever make a decent enough profit on the project. It has since been announced that they plan to cut back on what they spent in one area of the ICS project. One way for a company to “create” more profit is to cut expenses.
3. TS was the one who claimed that IZOD had a rock solid multi-year strategy connected with the IICS and would tolerate any loss in year 1. Their actions last week clearly and FACTUALLY disprove that claim.
4. If IZOD IndyCar themed shirts were selling so well, then how come Macy’s recently dumped their inventory of the new $35 shirts (the ones featuring vintage drivers) for $9.99? That’s what they still list on the Macy’s “Izod for Indy” website. Was that part of the multi-year plan too?
TS, thank you for your eventual, honest admission regarding the falsehoods you were spewing as facts here. Do us all a favor and stick to what you know best: NOTHING!!!
By The Speedgeek, October 12, 2010 @ 10:38 am
Well, you could look at the RHR sponsor cut back as saying “well, Izod didn’t want to spend that money for a full season fulltime car sponsorship last year (remember how they were only signed on for 5 races at the beginning of the season?), but felt obligated to continue after he won a race, so what they’re doing is maybe cutting back to their original spend level” or you can take it as “Izod thinks IndyCar sucks! They’re already looking for ways to get out!” I’ve chosen the former. You’ve chosen the latter. Fine. Feel free to go ahead and label me an easily bamboozled Kool-Aid swiller, since that’s what you’ve alread decided I am.
“If IZOD IndyCar themed shirts were selling so well, then how come Macy’s recently dumped their inventory of the new $35 shirts (the ones featuring vintage drivers) for $9.99?” Jeez, I dunno. Maybe it’s for the same reason that all the short sleeved shirts (which almost all of those Izod Indy shirts are on the Macy’s site are) are on the clearance rack at the Kohl’s just down the road from my house: it’s October, hence, short sleeves are out of season. Time to get them out of here and stock up long sleeved stuff. Or, you can claim that I was claiming that they were selling like hotcakes (which I did not claim, and you can go back and read what I wrote again, if you don’t believe that), and use it as yet another example of how Izod is abandoning the Series and that I have a sub-Gump IQ.
Look, you’re not going to listen to any of what I just wrote, and you’re probably going to reply with an 8,000 word post about how I’m wrong, how I flunked out of elementary school, how I smell terrible and why my family and friends don’t return my phone calls (or some other some such thing that you’ve decided about me without knowing a single actual goddamn thing about me). You’ve proven to be incapable/unwilling to read what I actually write, quote back anything that I “said” (i.e. what you claimed I said but that I actually did not) when I ask you to, answer any of the actual valid questions I ask you, engage me without insulting me or my intelligence, or read anything that I write without reading an extra 1,000 words worth of subtext that doesn’t actually match anything that I did actually write. In so doing, I declare you the winner of this corner of Teh Interwebs, Mr. Joseph. Bravo to you. And with that, I’m done with you.
By Tony Joseph, January 12, 2011 @ 4:55 pm
I guess if you have a solid t-shirt vendor (IZOD), you don’t need a solid tire supplier (Firestone). Yes, Randy Bernard chased after European companies when he should have been at home solidifying his own American base supplier. Oh, BTW, how did that alleged Playboy buzz (the point I made in my original post) work out in impressing Firestone to stay? Isn’t it funny how fact and truth always prove me right. It’s almost like I might actually know what I’m talking about.
By Tony Joseph, August 28, 2011 @ 1:43 pm
It’s been one year since Roy’s Playboy “buzz” hit IICS. Just as I predicted, a big viewership increase on ABC or Versus with Playboy’s millions of readers watching INDYCAR never happened. BTW, to answer my own question, a big fat price increase, not any “buzz” from Playboy magazine, kept Firestone in the IICS. Finally, one year later and IZOD has been cutting back on appearances by their Trophy Girl. Yet, despite all of that factual info, there are probably still some “experts” from this site who think I didn’t know what I was talking about. Oh well. If they want to be misinformed, let them be. I don’t have to join them in that.
By Tony Joseph, September 2, 2011 @ 4:32 am
It’s now official.
2010 Sonoma TV Ratings: 0.25
2011 Sonoma TV Ratings: 0.30
Your fake buzz is officially a buzzkill, Roy. Your millions of Playboy horndogs didn’t become IICS fans JUST AS I SAID THEY WOULDN’T. Imagine that. Another Playboy fantasy that never came true for Mr. Hobbson. Maybe posting “stuff” like this is what helped you get two websites shut down in the past 12 months. Stay stupid, my friends.
By James, September 4, 2011 @ 12:13 am
Hahahaha!! Someone sounds bitter.
By Not Tony Joseph, September 4, 2011 @ 5:09 am
No James, someone needs a f***ing life!!
Hey Tony, if IndyCar is dead, why are you still banging on about it? Go away and stop worrying and IndyCar will die after this year and you’ll be happy. Or you can keep coming back and be the annoying troll you are.
Clearly as a “third generation entrepreneur (aka business owner)” you have loads of time on your hands to keep snarking on. Successful business owners don’t berate people like you do. Guess this tells us a lot.
PS: no one like Snoreroma except sponsors who drink it up in the Valley, whatever.
By Tony Joseph, December 17, 2011 @ 4:50 pm
Apparently, some of you haven’t kept up with Mr. Hobbson since he lost his job on this site. On his new blog (which now only has 1 post about Indy Car racing) and within his own tribute to Dan Wheldon (which was that lone post), he now admits that for the entire time he wrote here, he knew NOTHING about IndyCar Racing or the IRL. That’s funny. I remember saying that NUMEROUS times and was shot down by many “experts” who claimed Hobbson was some sort of IndyCar genius or demagogue. I knew then that Roy was duping you and even he now proves me right by confirming it with his own words. Of course, when your CEO knew nothing about the sport when he took the job, why shouldn’t the blog writers on your website be equally in the dark, right? That’s just par for the INDYCAR course. LOL
http://royhobbson.tumblr.com/post/11583121403/the-closeness-of-indycar
Should I remind “Not Tony Joseph” that he’s coming to the same website he now claims only people with no life come to? Naw. On second thought, I’ll just let his uninformed rambling stumble around here on it’s own while he wastes more time waiting for Roy’s Sonoma “Playboy buzz” from 2010 to kick in any minute for the IICS. LOL
I now return you to your regular mindless Indy Car cheerleading, already in progress.