Racetrack Sponsorship
Background
For many years, the tobacco industry dominated auto racing and motorsport sponsorship. Recently, though, the relationship between tobacco companies and motorsports has suffered from increasing complexity and turmoil. The Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) guidelines include restrictions to prohibit youth-targeted tobacco marketing, advertisement, and promotion; limit free samples of tobacco products; and prohibit outdoor advertising of brand-name sponsorships any place other than the event site (1). Any violation of the MSA agreement may lead to fines or judicial action. With the growing number of limitations aimed against tobacco marketing, tobacco companies needed to take new measures for ongoing brand exposure.
Tobacco manufacturers use sponsorship as a means of circumventing advertising regulations and restrictions (4). By sponsoring an event where large numbers of people attend, companies may advertise aggressively. This is especially the case for racing events. They not only reach the large audience in attendance, but also millions more through television broadcasts of these events worldwide. Companies aim much of their advertising at youths and young adults attending racetrack events or watching them on television (2). On the racetrack, 14% of those who attended NASCAR in 1996 were between the ages of 12-17 years, and, in the same year, more than 100 million youth worldwide watched auto racing on television (8). Companies understand that more than 4,000 kids try their first cigarette each day, and 88% of adults who have ever smoked tried their first cigarette by the age of 18 (8). By sponsoring popular events such as racing, tobacco companies can direct their marketing efforts at younger adult audiences most vulnerable to begin tobacco use.
Over 71% of the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) fans say that they prefer NASCAR-sponsored products over non-sponsored products (2), and event sponsorship results in high levels of brand awareness and high product visibility by consumers (4). After RJ Reynolds discontinued its NASCAR sponsorship, there was no problem finding a new sponsor for the racing series. Amongst fierce competition, Nextel Communications won out other companies and signed a 10-year deal to sponsor NASCAR, signifying the expansion of racing beyond tobacco company sponsorship.
Policies
Local advocates can work more closely with event boards at venues such as racetracks and racing related events in an effort to terminate tobacco sponsorship of these events.
Sponsorship of a racing event can be coordinated in a variety of methods. Companies may contract with a local racetrack, partner with a racing association such as NASCAR or CART, support an individual racing team, or headline a racing event or series allowable under MSA guidelines. Despite these numerous channels for company sponsorship, elimination of tobacco marketing in motorsport racing is still possible.
- The Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Monterey County influenced county governments and county park departments to successfully establish policies that forbid tobacco company sponsorships of car racing events. The County of Monterey leases the Laguna Seca racetrack to the Sports Car Racing Association of the Monterey Peninsula (SCRAMP). Through persistent effort by the Coalition to eliminate tobacco sponsorship, SCRAMP ended its affiliation with Camel, Kool, and Marlboro in 1997 (1). The Coalition also influenced SCRAMP and the County of Monterey to add several measures to its lease agreement:
- Neither the Parks nor SCRAMP will solicit or accept tobacco company sponsorship for any permanent improvements made to Laguna Seca Raceway.
- SCRAMP will not solicit or accept any tobacco company as an annual track sponsor.
- SCRAMP will continue to eliminate tobacco sponsorship of races run by other organizations that lease the track (1).
- With the help of the North Valley Region Prevention Center, the Win-River Casino that promotes the Win-River 150 hoped to send a tobacco-free message to the youth audience in attendance (1). The casino's annual late model and legend car race in Anderson, California banned tobacco sponsorship from the race, and also sponsored a Stop Tobacco Use racecar.
Effectiveness Data
Although there is limited research that has studied the link between tobacco sponsorship and smoking rates, there are data that support a link between advertising levels and smoking rates, particularly among youth, and data indicating that youth are the most susceptible to advertising and promotional campaigns. For example, 85% of adolescent smokers who buy their own cigarettes buy Marlboro, Camel or Newport, which are the three most heavily advertised brands of cigarettes in the United States (6). A 1994 study in California found that young adults ages 18-24 were the most likely to possess tobacco promotional items, such as shirts and caps. However, youth aged 15-17 displayed the highest willingness to use such items at 36% (5). Another study found a correlation between years of high tobacco company promotional expenditures and increased levels of daily smoking initiation among ninth graders (7). With advertisements aggressively directed at younger audiences, promotional items and events sponsored by tobacco companies help increase branding and may influence youths' and young adults' choice to smoke.
Since NASCAR dropped the Winston Cup sponsorship, it has received advertising interests from other family-friendly sources that previously did not want to associate with an event involving tobacco companies. The Hanna-Barbera cartoon company currently sponsors a racing car because, "In NASCAR, we found great kids' business. [We] were astounded by their information, statistics, and demographics regarding kids" (2). Removing tobacco sponsorship is an important decision for auto racing affiliates, and its elimination may decrease tobacco use among youths and young adults. There are currently 3.1 million adolescents who smoke, making them significantly more susceptible to health problems induced by tobacco products (3). As tobacco addiction most often originates during adolescence, racing associations or venues can play a part in addressing this important issue by actively refusing tobacco sponsorship.
Resources
American Lung Association
1740 Broadway
New York, New York 10019
(202) 315-8700
http://www.lungusa.org
California Department of Health Services
Tobacco Control Section
P.O. Box 997413, MS 7206
Sacramento, CA 95899-7413
(916) 449-5500
http://www.dhs.ca.gov/tobacco
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
(also known as National Center for Tobacco-Free Kids)
1400 Eye Street, Suite 1200
Washington, DC 20005
Phone: (202) 296-5469
http://www.tobaccofreekids.org
info@tobaccofreekids.org
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
Office on Smoking and Health
1600 Clifton Rd.
Atlanta, GA 30333
(404) 639-3311
http://www.cdc.gov/
TALC (Technical Assistance Legal Center)
Public Health Institute
180 Grand Ave., Suite 750
Oakland, CA 94612
(510) 444-8252
http://www.phi.org/talc
References
- California Department of Health Services. (2004). Racing toolkit: Helping motorsports get free of tobacco sponsorship. Sacramento, CA: Tobacco Control Section.
- Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids. (2000). Racing to addiction: Tobacco company auto racing sponsorships. Accessible online at http://www.tobaccofreekids.org/research/factsheets/pdf/0080.pdf
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.) Preventing tobacco use among young people: A report of the Surgeon General (1994). Accessible at http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco.sgr/sgr_1994/index.htm#
- Dewhirst, T., Hunter, (2002) A. tobacco sponsorship of Formula One and CART auto racing: Tobacco brand exposure and enhanced symbolic imagery through co-sponsors' third party advertising. Tobacco Control, 11: 146-150.
- Gilpin, E., Pierce, J., Rosbrook, B. (1997, Jan.-Feb.). Are adolescents receptive to current sales promotion practices of the tobacco industry? Preventive Medicine, 26(1): 14-21.
- Johnston, L., O'Malley, P., Bachman, J., Schulenberg, J. (1999). Cigarette brand preferences among adolescents. Monitoring the Future, Occasional Paper No. 45. Available at: http://monitoringthefuture.org/pubs/occpapers/occ45.pdf
- Redmond, W. (1999, March). Effects of sales promotion on smoking among U.S. ninth graders. Preventative Medicine, 28(3): 243-250.
- Technical Legal Assistance Centers. (2003). Model policy for motor sports: Prohibiting tobacco sponsorship. Accessible at http://phi.org/talc
Acknowledgements
Tonia Hagaman, MPH, Program Consultant, California Department of Health Services, Tobacco Control Section, Sacramento, CA
Jeanette Notenius, PhD, Vice President, Rick Swartz & Associates, Washington, D.C.
Dearell Niemeyer, MPH, Executive Director, Tobacco Technical Assistance Consortium, Atlanta, GA
Primary Author:
Teresa Pham, Center for Health Improvement, Sacramento, CA
Updated 9/21/04
