Ready. Set. Race! The Hashtag 500 to Give Fans the Chance to Race on Twitter for Memorabilia from the 2016 DAYTONA 500 Inspired by fans’ shared love of racing, NASCAR® today unveiled a new, integrated marketing campaign celebrating the launch of the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series™ season. Ready. Set. Race will engage NASCAR fans online, at home and on the go through a blend of digital and social media activation, and original television creative. Fans will be invited to put their racing skills to the test during the 2016 Daytona 500® on February 21, when NASCAR hosts the first-ever Hashtag 500 on Twitter. The unique promotion, developed by Ogilvy & Mather New York, will give fans a chance to win memorabilia from this year’s “Great American Race®,” including a driver firesuit, helmet, steering wheel and set of Goodyear tires, among other race-used items. “Ready. Set. Race was built around the simple human truth that all people love to race in some form – in the backyard, on their bikes or on the racetrack,” said Jill Gregory, NASCAR senior vice president, marketing and industry services. “This campaign is unlike anything we’ve ever done, inspiring fans who love to race, and creating experiences for them to race other fans on social media.” To race in the Hashtag 500 on Feb. 21, fans must watch Daytona 500 race coverage on FOX (beginning at 12 p.m. ET) and follow @NASCAR on Twitter to receive a custom hashtag for each of 10 pieces of memorabilia. Once each hashtag is unveiled, the 500th person to tweet the hashtag in conjunction with #DAYTONA500 will win that race and receive the prize. Beginning today through Saturday, fans can practice for the Hashtag 500 by competing in daily Twitter races for a chance to win unique, personal items from six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers. Short digital videos featuring the drivers will unveil each day’s custom hashtag and be shared via @NASCAR and NASCAR.com/hashtag500. Dale Earnhardt Jr. will host today’s first practice race. The 500th person to tweet the hashtag and #DAYTONA500 will win a pair of sunglasses from the two-time Daytona 500 champion. A promotional teaser for the Hashtag 500 aired on FOX this past weekend, beginning during Saturday’s season-opening Sprint Unlimited. Additional new NASCAR Sprint Cup Series creative promoting Ready. Set. Race will debut on Sunday during the Daytona 500 on FOX. The creative will drive home the narrative that, first and foremost, it’s a universal love of racing that connects and inspires NASCAR fans, and drives their passion for the sport. “We believe that everyone is born with a love of racing and with this campaign, we are hoping to remind them of it,” said Teddy Lynn, Chief Creative Officer of Content and Social, Ogilvy & Mather North America. “Our goal with the creative was to bring that racing mentality to life.” Fans can follow @NASCAR on Twitter and Facebook, and visit NASCAR.com for an early look at the Ready. Set. Race creative later this week. Twitter Introduces #DAYTONA500 Emoji; Will Go Behind-the-Scenes at Daytona International Speedway As anticipation builds for the 2016 DAYTONA 500® on February 21, NASCAR® and Twitter are collaborating to enhance the #DAYTONA500 conversation with fun, original content and unique activations around racing’s biggest event. Plans to promote DAYTONA 500 weekend include a new Twitter emoji, Vine and Periscope content from Daytona International Speedway and the first-ever Hashtag 500, a Twitter race among fans that will reward winners with memorabilia from Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series™ race (1 p.m. ET on FOX). “We’ve seen tremendous growth on Twitter and this collaboration only makes it easier for fans to engage and follow the DAYTONA 500 conversation,” said Jill Gregory, NASCAR senior vice president, marketing and industry services. “This level of activation and support from Twitter is truly unprecedented, and the big winners are the NASCAR fans.” To help bring DAYTONA 500 tweets to life during race week, Twitter and NASCAR have created a special, race-themed Twitter emoji. Each time fans Tweet with the hashtag #DAYTONA500, the colorful, waving flags featured in the DAYTONA 500 logo will appear in the Tweet. “NASCAR has always understood the power of connecting with their fans on Vine, Periscope and Twitter,” said Danny Keens, director of North American sports partnerships, Twitter. “We are thrilled to take our relationship to the next level with one of the most innovative brands in the world ahead of #DAYTONA500.” Activation on Twitter around “The Great American Race®” will also include the following: Vine & Periscope: @NASCAR will create Vines and live video via Periscope to give fans an inside look at the DAYTONA 500 experience, including the iconic, newly-reimagined motorsports stadium. Twitter Moments: @NASCAR will curate several moments capturing the spirit and excitement of the DAYTONA 500 festivities. Celebrities: Each year the DAYTONA 500 attracts some of sports and entertainment’s biggest names to Daytona Beach. @NASCAR will share content around appearances from John Cena, Florida Georgia Line and Ken Griffey Jr., who will wave the green flag to start Sunday’s race. Hashtag 500: The 500th person to tweet a custom hashtag on race day – unveiled by @NASCAR and @FOXtv via the race broadcast – in conjunction with #DAYTONA500 will win one of 10 pieces of memorabilia from the DAYTONA 500. Twitter Mirror: NASCAR race teams will use Twitter Mirror to bring behind-the-scenes content to life on their Twitter feeds all week long and during the DAYTONA 500. Infield Branding: The Twitter Bird logo, as well as @NASCAR and #DAYTONA500, will be featured as infield stencils inside Daytona International Speedway. There will also be a #DAYTONA500 structure inside fan central to remind fans how to join the conversation on Twitter. The best and fastest way to join the NASCAR conversation and connect directly with the teams, drivers and fans during DAYTONA 500 weekend is to tweet with, and search for, #DAYTONA500. NASCAR has more than 2.3 million followers on Twitter and increased follower engagement by 87 percent during the 2015 race season. NASCAR Elevates Race Day Viewing Experience with Snapchat Partnership From the speedway tailgates to the wave of the checkered flag, NASCAR® fans will be able to share their race-day experiences with Snapchat users across the world as part of a new Live Story partnership, announced today by NASCAR and Snapchat. Through this partnership agreement, Snapchat will double its coverage of the sport’s premier race events in 2016, launching its first NASCAR Live Story at the 2016 Daytona 500® on February 21 (1 p.m. ET on FOX). “Snapchat’s Live Story coverage of NASCAR events will make its users near and far feel like they’re at the racetrack,” said Jill Gregory, NASCAR senior vice president, marketing and industry services. “With Snapchat, NASCAR fans can share their stories from our iconic race events with a massive, global audience, which elevates the social experience for our fans.” Beginning at Daytona International Speedway®, Snapchat will cover multiple NASCAR Sprint Cup Series™ races throughout the year, giving millions of NASCAR fans the opportunity to experience the excitement – from behind-the-scenes in the garage to the fans’ perspectives in the grandstands. Snapchatters will contribute their unique, race-day perspectives through video and photo Snaps submitted to one collective Live Story, capturing the real NASCAR story, straight from the fans. The thousands of submitted Snaps from each event will be curated and packaged by Snapchat into a video stream that is shared globally with Snapchat’s more than 100 million daily active users right on their mobile devices. Each NASCAR Live Story will be available to view on Snapchat for 24 hours. “We’re thrilled to be partnering with NASCAR to bring Snapchatters closer to the race experience and behind-the-scenes of some of NASCAR’s biggest events this year,” said Ben Schwerin, Director of Partnerships at Snapchat. NASCAR launched its presence on Snapchat before the 2015 season and experienced rapid growth on the platform as the sport targeted younger and more diverse audiences. Snapchat is available on iOS and Android.
