NASCAR Burger, Anyone?

A few weeks ago I drug my Man out to the movies for a "date night" (remember, small biz folks, balance between work and home is key!) and we went to see Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. Besides being pretty darn funny, it reminded me of an article I read in the June 2006 issue of Promo magazine about sports licensing and corporate branding.
According to Promo, corporate licensing accounts for about 25% of all retails sales of licensed good across North America. Pepsi, Warner Bros., the WWE and other folks are certainly earning their bucks off retail shoppers, that's for sure! Nobody has caught my eye the way NASCAR has, though.
Don't throw rocks or call me un-American (them's fightin' words, Pilgrim), but I'm not a NASCAR fan. I like fast cars, but I like to drive them, not watch somebody else drive around in circles in them. However, I'm apparently in the minority, because NASCAR fans abound across the USA. NASCAR hasn't missed that concept either. Not only do plenty of drivers' names end up on bumper stickers, t-shirts, hats, and probably tattoos nationwide, but now the brand name is showing up on meat. Yes, meat.
NASCAR unveiled a NASCAR-branded burger this year, perfectly timed for tailgating and summer get-togethers. This builds on the hot dogs, bologna, smoked sausage and lunch meat they already rolled out onto the track earlier this year, and barbecue sauce is due this fall. As with any brand, sports enthusiasts are loyal customers, and Blake Davidson, managing director of licensed products for the company knows it. According to Promo, NASCAR will expand into as many categories as they can. As he puts it, "NASCAR is a lifestyle brand. We think it will extend naturally into the home."
I think he's right. Why have just a hat with your favorite driver's name on it when you can decorate your kids' car beds in NASCAR sheets and pillows? Get that garage door open and get the checkered flag theme going! Why not the grill and the kitchen too? As the owner of a dog who has a Harley-Davidson collar, I'm sure pet care items aren't far behind for NASCAR either.
Hmm. Perhaps Ricky Bobby could have thrown the cougar some NASCAR burgers and saved himself a few minutes fear, eh?