BRING BACK FORD vs CHEVY after all it is an American series.
That is about all you would need.
Few Americans can relate to driver's names but all Americans can relate to CHEVY vs FORD.
Ford and Chevy have to come back on their own. That's their decision, not ICS.
Sure that is a correct statement, but the IndyCar World Series can entice Chevy and Ford that they would market Chevy vs Ford rivalry and make it the foundation of the IndyCar World Series promotion. In America there would not be a better marketing tool than to promote Chevy vs Ford.
Okay. That's great. However in a market where Chevy and Ford have been in the red for a couple of years, what do you suggest that will entice them to drop another $30M + per year on the Indy Cars?
Regretfully we can't just clap our hands and say "Make it so!" like King Tut. We need a plan that will work.
What are you proposing?
Make FORD AND CHEVY the presenting sponsor.
The IndyCar World Series presented by FORD vs CHEVY.
Ford and Chevy agree to fund the Chevy vs Ford marketing campaign in return the ICWS makes Ford and Chevy the only engine choice.
Marketing Ford vs Chevy would be a great promotion for both companies and would benefit America and the American auto industry.
I can see the full page ad in USA Today and other publications FORD vs CHEVY at the SEARS 500 at Michigan International Speedway.
It is time Ford and Chevy forget about competing against foreign manufacturers.
Would it not be better if the Indy 500 promotion sounded like (The 2009 Indianapolis 500 presented by FORD vs CHEVY) rather than presented by Honda?
BRING BACK FORD vs CHEVY after all it is an American series.
That is about all you would need.
Few Americans can relate to driver's names but all Americans can relate to CHEVY vs FORD.
Ford and Chevy have to come back on their own. That's their decision, not ICS.
Sure that is a correct statement, but the IndyCar World Series can entice Chevy and Ford that they would market Chevy vs Ford rivalry and make it the foundation of the IndyCar World Series promotion. In America there would not be a better marketing tool than to promote Chevy vs Ford.
Okay. That's great. However in a market where Chevy and Ford have been in the red for a couple of years, what do you suggest that will entice them to drop another $30M + per year on the Indy Cars?
Regretfully we can't just clap our hands and say "Make it so!" like King Tut. We need a plan that will work.
What are you proposing?
Make FORD AND CHEVY the presenting sponsor.
The IndyCar World Series presented by FORD vs CHEVY.
Ford and Chevy agree to fund the Chevy vs Ford marketing campaign in return the ICWS makes Ford and Chevy the only engine choice.
Marketing Ford vs Chevy would be a great promotion for both companies and would benefit America and the American auto industry.
I can see the full page ad in USA Today and other publications FORD vs CHEVY at the SEARS 500 at Michigan International Speedway.
It is time Ford and Chevy forget about competing against foreign manufacturers.
Would it not be better if the Indy 500 promotion sounded like (The 2009 Indianapolis 500 presented by FORD vs CHEVY) rather than presented by Honda?
All well and good, but you will need to convince BOTH Ford and GM to go with the program.
In today's market, that'll be a tough sell.
Frankly, I think either of them would rather go up against Toyota, the number 2 seller in the U.S., rather than each other. Of course to do that, Toyota would have to be convinced to return and as it stands, they are scared out of their whits of current supplier Honda, who looks quite content at the moment.
How would that put Indy Racing in the headlines of AP, Reuters, or the front page of the New York Times??
Indycar will never be on the front page of the New York times unless Danica wins Indy, so don't worry about that kind of stuff.
Penske building his own cars is not going to make the sport as big as it was, but opening up the rules can set it in the right direction.
There is no magic element that can be added to make Indycar front page news, but slow steady growth will get it there, and that had been missing for years.
BTW - I really like Mike15's Ford vs. Chevy idea. This thread has had a lot of great new ideas, keep it up.
Indycar will never be on the front page of the New York times unless Danica wins Indy, so don't worry
Uh...
That's the entire point of this thread...
And there have been some great ideas offered so far.
Uh....
In promoting the series, what positave ideas can you offer?
Obviously, the best thing to utilize is your strongest assetts, from a promotional point of view. Everyone already knows that you don't want to start by attempting to re-invent the wheel, but rather take your strongest publicity points and build from there.
Nothing from the OP about how to get Indycar on the cover of the NewYork Times.
The problem is that some people want instant success, like many reality TV shows have. The problem is that many of these have a very short time of success, then fade away to nothing.
I want to see the sport grow by building a strong fan base. Becoming the flavor of the week is the opposite of that.
And yes RouserS, there have been lots of great ideas in this thread, but most of your posts have been putting them down.
Indycar will never be on the front page of the New York times unless Danica wins Indy, so don't worry
Uh...
That's the entire point of this thread...
And there have been some great ideas offered so far.
Uh....
In promoting the series, what positave ideas can you offer?
Obviously, the best thing to utilize is your strongest assetts, from a promotional point of view. Everyone already knows that you don't want to start by attempting to re-invent the wheel, but rather take your strongest publicity points and build from there.
Nothing from the OP about how to get Indycar on the cover of the NewYork Times.
The problem is that some people want instant success, like many reality TV shows have. The problem is that many of these have a very short time of success, then fade away to nothing.
I want to see the sport grow by building a strong fan base. Becoming the flavor of the week is the opposite of that.
And yes RouserS, there have been lots of great ideas in this thread, but most of your posts have been putting them down.
Well, if I'm understanding Rousers point correctly, I think he's just asking for a plan on "How do we do it?", which I likewise appreciate.
In any serious business proposal, the goal is always stated, followed by the plan/map on how the proposor intends on achieving said objectives. I wouldn't take Rousers questions the wrong way. He appears to me to be just looking for the plan on achieving the plans. Don't forget, he's said several times something like "good idea" when addressing a proposal. And while we've seen some great ideas thus far, only a few have outlined a means to have them achieved. Mike15's idea is a great on of getting a Ford v/s Chevy battle up and running! It would certainly grab sports headlines throughout the season! As we stand right now, both have pulled out of open wheel racing. I'm not sure myself how to get them back on the band waggon and implement Mike15's great idea however.
I'll grant you, Rousers does take a liberty with specifically mentioning the New York Times, yet at the same time I did say on one of my early posts on this thread:
So long as it's something that will grab the popular press' attention and put us on the Sports front page, or the just The Front Page, is what we're interested in.
Mind you the front page of The New York Times would be fantastic, but I'd stand on my head if we could get on the front page of their Sunday Sports section, which may be a bit more realistic goal.
You can polish a turd all you want but it's just a shiny turd.
Changes need to be made to get back on track. 12 years of split will take many years to repair.
1) Get a new car. If a lot of folks here don't like the car, then the car must really be ugly. Love or hate the current F1 car, they are pretty slick racers. Got to see Schumacher's 2003 F1 Ferrari at a Taiwan trade show. What a spectacular machine.
2) Promote the entire series, not just 1 race. Drop I am Indy. Nascar isn't I am Daytona and they are successful because of the strength of the entire series.
3) Get off the 1.5 mile tracks. 2+ mile ovals or 1 mile ovals only.
4) Run IMS twice. Just like Daytona, run 2 races. First the big one Indy500, then a second one of 400 mile length. The mystic of IMS is gone. F1 raced there, Nascar races there, now motogp? If I500 is the biggest race, then do it again, just call it xxx400.
5) Run an all star race. 2 10 lap races on a small oval and a final 50 lap race.
Until Mike and Breaker came up with a few common sense things, Spoke came up with the only ideas that were not super-stupid, IMO.
The path to rebuilding isn't that complex is it? C^RT was bigger than Nascar and was climbing up the back of F-1 before the split. Just turn back the clock to what worked then and you're on your way.
So turn back the clock to what.......79 and start over from there and we will all be happy in 10 years or so? That's what we're doing here........ starting over.
The money isn't there to be 90's cart yet so no one can afford to "turn back the clock."
If Silver Crown was rear engine, and raced the IRL venue, more people would come. All races had shifter carts race (mostly local drivers) more people would come. Put all the IRL cars and the drivers on a flat bed wrecker and cruse the town the night before, more people would come. If The 500 was on monday plus all qualifying and practice were on Monday, Tuesday , & Wednesday : WOW would the ratings go up. BUT the biggest thing we need alot of different engines options.
Chassis and motors have nothing to do with attracting viewers. It's all about exciting and close racing. Do you remember what chassis and motors Johncock and Mears had during their duel at Indy? Most of us don't and wouldn't know without looking it up. Racing, that's what it's about. Creating close, dramatic racing is how you get people to watch.
The biggest tickets for Nascar right now are Daytona, Talladega and Bristol. Why? Because they are gauranteed to have close racing and drama all race long. Lets find the best chassis, motors, and tracks that will produce the best racing. Once the racing starts to get closer it will begin to make Sportscenter highlights. Close racing also produces emotional drivers. Showing that emotion on TV is gauranteed a spot on Sportscenter. Getting on Sportscenter more often is going to get you more attention, viewers and sponsors.
IndyCar needs to improve on the basics. It's product and it's presentation. Once you get the basics down, then the rest will begin to fall in place naturally.
If that were truly the case, then the packing racing the IRL had with tiny margins of victory would have set the world on fire and we wouldn't be having this thread. History shows us that the racing product is not ALL that is needed.
To gain attention, you have to give people something to talk about that sets you apart from the rest.
The all oval deal didn't work because Nascar has that market nailed down. The IRL didn't have as much action, or as many cars, or the traditions that Nascar has. It just came off as a o/w verion that was not as good.
What was different ? The speed. Get the camera angles to SHOW that speed !
" It's a fun track. I was doing laps just as fast as those Cup cars were doing. Then I changed out of 3nd gear. That's when it got exciting !"
What else is different ...now ? Track diversity.
" We don't NEED to hire "specialists" to race on road courses. We do it ourselves. "
What else ? Nascar guys can make quite few mistakes, and still win.
" At THESE speeds, the margin for error is not fixed with a Luck Dog. " or ...
" With these cars, there is no room for sloppy driving. Here, rubbin' is wrecking ! " ( And cue up some crash videos and wheel to wheel passes. )
Once you HAVE the people at the track, you darn well BETTER give them something to talk about. If the race comes off flat, you may lose them , never to return. That's ONE reason why the IRL engine sound is just NOT a good tool. It's just boring sounding. There needs to be MEANINGFUL passing and on track action, not packing racing and momentum determined leader board changes. They should also get their moneys worth for the weekend. Stuff should be going on all weekend, not just Sunday afternoon.
I never thought the pack racing of the IRL was exciting. You could tell that the cars were glued to the track and they weren't pushing the edge of what their car could do. Making the cars run more on the edge on ovals would be better.
Actually it is. Keep in mind that the series needs to build itself back to where it was.
Now...
Bear in mind that this thread is only one arm of rebuilding the series. One arm of many. This thread is focusing on how to keep Indy Car in the news on a consistant basis.
While I congradulate those who come up with ideas such as say a car formula, or a racing venue, that will only amount to having a press release exposure and that's it. If the series went to say a 3.5 v6 Turbo engine formula and ran solely on street courses and superspeedways, just as an example, that may get attention at the point of the press release of some of the papers out there, but it's not something that would be consistant in the news week in week out.
Having said that, perhaps those ideas will help in other areas in developing the series. I have no questions regarding that whatsoever. However, those developments won't keep the series in the press on a consistant week in-week out basis, which is what this thread is all about.
My thoughts are only in general, but I'm thinking that the HUMAN ELIMENT is something the press will gravitate to.
The man/woman on the street isn't going to be interested in a v6 turbo formula that's writen up in the paper anyway. They'll flip right past that article. That's something that's geared for the likes of ourselves: the racing fanatics.
I think pieces that will generate interest of the press, and hence, potential new fans, will focus on individuals with a story. Danica, is a story. Helio, is a story, the aforementioned college student program would be a story. Stories that have the potential of appearing consistantly in the news.
