BSA Motorsports - Indy Car

[SR540Beaver]

BSA is sponsoring an Indy car. Thoughts?

 

By utilizing the excitement and high-tech nature of Indy-style racing cars as a platform to promote science, technology, and math to those involved in Scouting, this multiyear program will be foundational to reaching Americas youths in 2010. Through this exposure, our goal is to increase youth interest in the concepts of engineering and math in ways that are fun and relevant to them.

 

The Boy Scouts of Americas No. 19 IndyCar entry will compete in the 17-race 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series schedule. Local Boy Scout members and volunteers will participate in exciting activities at the track and have other unique opportunities at all races. The team will appear at Scouting events, including the 2010 National Scout Jamboree.

 

http://www.ptcmedia.net/files/BSA_Motorsports.pdf

 

http://www.scouting.org/motorsports.aspx

[OldGreyEagle]

Tournament of Roses Parade entry on January1, now an Indy type race car, its almost like someone at the BSA has a marketing plan to present scouting in the best light possible.

 

Wonders never cease, I like it, I really like it

[The Blancmange]

At first blush, this sounds cool, but I wonder just how much it costs to sponsor an Indy Car. Not cheap, I'm sure. Is that the best use for our extra dues?

[Scoutfish]

 

 

"Is that the best use for our extra dues?"

 

ABSOLUTELY! If it works , that is. As a NASCAR fan, I love to see new sponsors in NASCAR. More sponsors mean more racecars, which also means more drivers, teams, support crews. This carries on down the line as a race team/shop has to buy stuff from anywhere along the lines of soap for dirty hands to high dollar shop equipment. People make this stuff, so in turn, are employed.

 

But to the most obvious aspect of it...Should BSA be spending that money?

Again...ABSOLUTELY. They spend money advertising anyway. phamplets, ads, signs, posters, etc. How many are effective and hopw many are never noticed.

How many are seen but ignored?

 

Find a kid that does not like some form of racecars, fighter jets, army guys ( yes, the generic term was meant) etc.

Sure, your average scout will never be within 400 miles of that car, but they will still tell their parents about scouting.

 

Remember TOP GUN? That was the all time coolest NAVY recruiting film of all time. The Navy and Marine Corps actually turned people away by the truckloads.

 

So, if it increases membership, and brings more youth into scouting...I say go for it!

 

[moxieman]

I think this will backfire on National. When donors give to scouting, they expect to see some direct benefit to the boys. I don't see how this kind of advertising (and it's not cheap to sponsor an Indy Car) fits into that scheme. This might turn-off some would-be donors, especially with all the scouts camps for sale that are in the news. I can easily see some donors now:

 

You can't afford to keep your local scout camp open, but you can afford to sponsor an Indy Car? Get your priorities straight before you try asking me for a donation again.

 

Like I said, this is going to backfire on National.

[Basementdweller]

I am ticked off. Sponsoring an IRL team costs in the neighborhood of 5 million dollars a season taken from http://www.healeymotorsports.com/sponsorship/

 

Here is the team

 

http://www.dalecoyneracing.com/

 

I enjoy open wheel racing and have followed it for years, but please. let me see $25 per scout goes into $5 million how many times. of course the actual cost or any deals will remain top secret. So who decides on the disposition of the free tickets???? Who gets in to the hospitality tent????

 

I don't live anywhere near one of the tracks so how does it benefit local scouting. It isn't carried on major network TV, I think it is carried on ESPN Ocho, the one that carries dodgeball.

 

Just another reason not to give to the Friends of Scouting this year. I will have to ask when the DE shows up to do the presentation during the presentation.

 

Like moxie our camps can use some repair. We lost a lake at one camp because the dam was ruled unsafe and was removed, I am told it would cost $10k to make it right. How about fixing that????????

 

Yep, looks like I will not be donating any money to scouting any time soon.

 

Trustworthy, Thrifty, Clean Don't think so, this is about as wasteful as it gets.

 

 

 

[SSScout]

It is exciting, no doubt. And I have to agree there are better ways to spend our dues/donations/endowment. Safe camps? Rebuild camps? Preserve property? Just took title to 10,000 acres in WVA for a Jamboree/high adventure site. Must be lotsa naming rights therebouts, huh? "Coca Cola White Water Rapids". "Burger King Dining Hall". "First Alert Campfire Circle". "Viers Paving Memorial Driveway". "Kaiser Permanente Health Lodge". "Weyerhauser Nature Lodge". "Jinsu Axe Yard".

Every time the Jamboree comes around, Car companies "donate" vehicles and then at the end, Jamboree sells them. Maybe Jamboree could GIVE them to deserving Councils or camps for staff use?

Could National give local Councils low cost/no cost loans if the council is in financial straits to help fix things up?

 

Course, now, if we could make that racer a Pioneering/Farm Mechanics/Chemistry/Composit Materials/Engineering/Automotive Maintenance/Metalwork/Traffic Safety/Truck Transportation Merit Badge project, that might make it worth while. Can an Offie be lashed to an oak frame and ... Where's Andy Granatelli when you need him?

[Eagle92]

When BSA had the two NASCAR cars in the late 1990s, early 2000s, the two cars were donations from one of the racing organizations. If memroy serves, the cars would not race at NASCAR events b/c most sponsors at the time were tobbacco companies. The cars were instead use for PR at local council, criss crossing the USA.

 

Don't know the details of the deal, but it may be that this is anotehr donation, and BSA didn't put a dime into it, but rather approached s company to sponsor.

[Scoutfish]

Okay,let me rephrase what I meant:

 

If BSA spends $5 mil on advertising by sponsoring a race team INSTEAD of $5 mil in a magazine, billboards or other places that are not currently working... AWESOME! I'm all for it.

 

Now, if BSA is spending $5 mil on top of what it already spends advertising..then no, I doi not like it at all. I'd rather see that $5 mil be taken off the price of uniforms, books, badges and what not in order to make it more affordable for everybody.

 

But , everybody should realize this: there is more than one league in INDY just as there is in NASCAR. Nascar's upper tier ( Sprint Cup Series) will cost about 20 mil a year to sponsor a team. But that was also before the economy forced teams to shut down for lack of sponsors. Now it's cheaper.

 

Then you have the secondary series ( Nationwide Series) It cost les to sponsor these guys. It cost even les for the 3rd tier ( Camping World Truck Series) You can just about sponsor 4 teams for price of of one Cup team.

 

And realize..sponsor ship is nothing but paying to have your name ona billboard that moves at 200 mph. Racing is one of the fastest growing sports, partially due to people not wanting to pay $400.00 for a ticket to see a baseball game in the nose bleed section.

 

Also, each team has a different price they ask just as ball players, actors and singers get more based on popularity.

 

Take a look at a superbowl commercial: $120,000,000.00 for a 30 second commercial right? But if it gets peoples notice, and they spend on that sponsor, then it's all paid off!

 

My experience with NASCAR has been this: If a fan likes a driver, and that driver stands up and tells you that he always uses BSA brand dirt in his flower bed.......his fans will not only buy ONLY BSA brand dirt, but will buy alot of it. And they will also buy any other stuff with the BSA brand/logo/ trade mark on it.

 

Again,if spending $5 million causes 10,000 new boys to join, who in turn bring in $10 miliion....it's money well spent!

 

Besides, does anybody know what a years worth of spending on advertising costs? Thinking about every billboard,phamplet, broshure, magazine, newspaperad I've seen...and figuring each town, city, county, state and the entire US...that's alot of money being spent. 5 Mil is nothing.

 

But that's assuming it cost the BSA 5 mil to start with.

 

 

[Buffalo Skipper]

I have recently seen a number of Scouting commercials on National TV in the past 2 weeks, mainly on Science, History and Military channels. Cool ads. Out of date. The main Scout is wearing the red and olive hat; and the announcer sounds like a cross between a sterotyped arrogant newscaster and a military drill instructor. Not what I would think is an appealing voice to youth. But it is the first time I have ever seen national BSA advertising on TV. I like it.

 

I am hoping this Indy car thing has somehow come at a deep discount to BSA. I am all for advertising and improving public image. We need it! But it is the value of the advertising which must be considered. Image and perception is reality, in many cases. Our council wanted to launch a $5M captital campaign two years ago, mainly aimed at camp improvements. We hired a marketing firm to come in and evaluate how effective a campaign would be. After surveys and interviews, they said "Don't do it." Most perspective doners had a favorable opinion of scouting, but many did not realize scouting was active in our area. We didn't have a bad image. We weren't visible enough for people to have an image of us. They said we needed to first do a major publicity campaign to improve our image before any capital fundraising program would work.

 

I believe that overall scouting around the country suffers from this image and exposure problem. I am all for any national campaigns to promote scouting. It will benefit us all; not only with new and more scouts, but also with scouting's image and our ability to sustain our national program over time.

[TWOMORROWS]

In business when sales are down it is time to increase the advertising budget!!!!

I hope that the BSA knows the demographics of their prospective (most likely to join) membership base! Also, the demographics of the people that generally are NASCAR fans! By doing the proper analysis the "bang for your buck" can grow!!!

It is definitely a great looking car and I am sure that most boys would be impressed! Connecting the car to joining, or staying in, Boy Scouts I don't know, but then again I am not an advertising executive!!!!

[ljnrsu]

I think it is a fantastic opportunity for the BSA. Best part is it comes at no cost to BSA.

 

"What is the cost to the Boy Scouts of America?"

 

"This program comes to the BSA at no cost. Funding is provided through the philanthropic efforts of Dale and Gail Coyne. Additionally, funding will be provided by one or more presenting sponsors who wish to be a part of this unique marketing opportunity." From Question #7 FAQ's

 

http://www.scouting.org/motorsports/faq.aspx

 

Think of the TV exposure BSA will receive 17 races on ABC and Versus. The IRL car also fits nicely with Revell being BSA's PWD official supplier. Merchandising options abound.

 

Teleconference with Bob Mazzuca and Dale Coyne Racing

 

http://www.dalecoyneracing.com/bsaindy.html

 

 

[Eagle92]

L,

thanks for postign that this is a freebie for the BSA. To partially quote Han Solo in SW EpIV ANH

 

"Yeeeeeeehaaaaaaaa...."(This message has been edited by eagle92)

[John-in-KC]

One of the coolest articles in Boys Life I remember as a youth member in the 1960s was all about road rallies. It even gave instructions on how older Scouts and Explorers could establisha road rally.

 

BOYS LIKE CARS This is a win/win, period.

 

 

[Basementdweller]

In reading the link it looks like a fund raiser for them. they are getting a portion of the sponsorship dollars which is great.

 

 

I am glad National didn't waste any of our boys moneys on it.

 

Thx for the link lj