Sponsorship Insight from Joe Gibbs Of Joe Gibbs Racing
I was previously given the chance to speak with Joe Gibbs from Joe Gibbs racing, and former Head Coach for the Washington Football Team. Of course I got his take on sponsorship.
How Did I Get This Opportunity?
I ship with FedEx in my main business, which sells race car parts. FedEx sponsors Denny Hamlin. Normally Denny would be out in the world making appearances for FedEx. Since this isn’t possible due to Covid-19, they switched to zoom calls to talk with their sponsored driver. Since FedEx knows I am a racing business, they graciously invited me to join this meeting, and even sent me a hat and model car.
My Question For Joe
I am passionate about helping racers learn the industry and how to get sponsorship the right way. So I could not wait to ask Joe, “What advice do you have for racers looking for sponsorship?” He did not disappoint. Joes response, “Today’s racing is so much different than it was 15 years ago, in that 15 years ago you raced a car, that’s it, that’s what the sponsor got benefit from, the TV and everything that happened there…
…today, it’s much, much more than that. It’s B2B. It’s all the work you do with all of your sponsors working together…So it’s B2B- it’s social and digital…
Joe Gibbs
there showcar programs. There’s just a lot that’s added to it so the answer that question for that person. To me it’s broad-based, a lot going on, obviously, race track is a huge part.”
A lot has changed over the years with sponsorship. I love how he points out that it is business to business. Not only should a racer and sponsor work together, but all the sponsors as a team as well. He agrees that the race track is huge, but with all the changes in social media and digital it has become much more.
Where To Find More
I have a lot of resources out there for sponsorship that I would love to share with you. Check out my Winning Motorsports Marketing YouTube channel for more tips. For more of my blogs on racer sponsorship click here.
If you’d like to learn more about sponsorship and take your team to the next level, join the SMART Racers program. Check it out here.
