Talladega: The Ballad of Stewart-Haas Racing
The 6th Annual Awards
- Best Social Media Campaign
ABOUT THIS ENTRY
Stewart-Haas Racing brought to life the cult classic movie focused on NASCAR at Talladega in conjunction with Wonder Bread and Old Spice by transforming our social channels and racing assets for an entire week.
How does this represent “Excellence in Engagement”?
Our Talladega campaign provided the perfect crossover of racing and pop culture that fans and non-fans of NASCAR enjoy. At Stewart-Haas Racing, our desire is to create campaigns like this that set the bar. We don’t want to create the same traditional program week after week but are looking to have tentpole moments throughout the year that generate conversation, resonate with fans, drive value for our partners, and help raise the profile of our team and racers.
This sets a precedent on what is possible for crossovers and partnerships within NASCAR. The envelope was pushed and we succeeded in our goals. During a race week where the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs were going on and none of our race cars were in the running, we were No. 1 in impressions, engagements, video views, and social value among all NASCAR Cup Series teams by large margins.
As motorsports in the U.S. grows with the popularity of Formula 1, we’re in a unique position to capitalize. In NASCAR, the film is always referenced in fun ways, but we are the first team to take it holistically by approaching Wonder and Old Spice for the partnership and being intentional in our content.
Objective
When people think of NASCAR, there’s a high chance their first thought is a beloved cult classic movie focused on Talladega. Working together with Old Spice and Wonder Bread, we brought to life the racing classic through our most visbile assets. For one iconic race weekend at Talladega Superspeedway, our Stewart-Haas Racing social media channels, two race cars, two racers, and all SHR-owned assets transformed into the beloved movie favorites from the movie. We knew race fans and the general public connect back with something that brings joy, laughter, and a certain nostalgia.
For us, this program was about making a big splash, flexing our creative muscles, and connecting with fans. Our core objectives were to:
- Create a memorable, talked-about program
- Showcase the personalities of our racers Chase Briscoe and Ryan Preece
- Drive value for Old Spice & Wonder Bread
Strategy & Execution
This campaign was created with fandom in mind, tapping into the nostalgia of a cult classic movie that both racing and non-racing fans love. When the idea was brought up, we knew we had to be ”all in” for it to resonate.
What did ”all in” mean for us? It meant having Old Spice and Wonder Bread onboard and transforming our most highly visible assets — our cars — into the beloved brands from the movie to serve as focal points for the campaign. Once Old Spice and Wonder Bread, there were three critical pieces to our execution:
First, we had to get buy-in from our drivers. Ryan and Chase have fun-loving personalities, and it was essential to get their buy-in as they played a critical role in bringing the content and spoofs to life.
Second, we had to ”win the week.” For many, campaigns stop and end at paint schemes, but we believe in taking advantage of moments like this by surrounding the week. Our team mapped out a robust social campaign to support the activation.
Finally, we had to be authentic in how we showed up, not just on social media but also with the paint schemes, race day, etc.
Organizations
- Stewart-Haas Racing
- Old Spice
- Wonder Bread
Links
Featured
- Chase Briscoe
- Ryan Preece
Credits
Hannah Gentlesk
Social Media Manager
Stewart-Haas Racing
Jarret Inesedy
Video Producer
Stewart-Haas Racing
Justin Potter
Team Photographer
Stewart-Haas Racing
Bradley Sisson
Manager, Graphic Design
Stewart-Haas Racing
Derek Lynn
Senior Designer
Stewart-Haas Racing
Jess Smith
VP, Brand & Digital Strategy
Stewart-Haas Racing
Lindsay Bowman
Manager, Partnership Marketing
Stewart-Haas Racing
Laura Lovett
Director, Partnership Marketing
Stewart-Haas Racing
Celebrate in NYC
Join us for the 6th Annual Hashtag Sports Awards™ on the evening of June 6, 2024 as we celebrate finalists and reveal the winners of this year's awards live during the show.
