Newell Rubbermaid now triple threat as sponsor

Several years ago, NASCAR fans got used to seeing Sharpie, Irwin Industrial Tools and Rubbermaid on the side of one of Jack Roush's Fords.

Then, they got used to watching the Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway, and last year, the Lenox Tools 300 from New Hampshire International Speedway. In the future, NASCAR fans could grow used to the Irwin Tools 500 at one of NASCAR's premier tracks.

At least that's what Eric Pinkham, vice president of motorsports and event marketing for Newell Rubbermaid, thinks could happen.

After winning the 2004 Nextel Cup championship with Kurt Busch and Roush Racing, Newell Rubbermaid has expanded its reach across the broad spectrum of NASCAR racing with additional sponsorships and activation outside the single-car, multiple-sponsor platform.

The crowning glory of that approach, which was gleaned through years of refining and honing the company message, comes this weekend when Dale Earnhardt Jr. will drive a Sharpie-sponsored Chevrolet in the Sharpie Mini 300 Busch Series event at Bristol.

"The learning curve within our own company was steeper than that within the sport," Pinkham said. "Over the years, as our program became more integrated and our activation more strategic, the key questions to answer were internal. How can one driver, for example, play the role of Mr. Sharpie, Mr. Irwin Tools, and Mr. Lenox at the same time?

"When we took a step back we realized that, the majority of the time, we weren't 'leveraging' the same property but rather 'diluting' it," he said. "Our strategy over the past 18 months was to arrive at today's destination: a place where multiple athletes can represent each brand and help us better serve the unique needs of each business. This does not necessarily translate into increasing our investment, but it does require working smarter. Jamie McMurray (Irwin), Jeff Burton (Lenox) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Sharpie) are already proving us right."

Getting Earnhardt was one of the key pieces to the puzzle, according to Pinkham.

"Aligning with him was something that, obviously, several companies in the U.S. or around the world would like to do," Pinkham said. "For us, it was having some relationships in place where we could actually get in the same room with Dale Jr. and talk about Sharpie to see if there was a mutual interest.

"Fortunately, he is a lifelong Sharpie user, loves our product, Bristol is his favorite place and the Sharpie 500 is his favorite race. He'd actually had his eye on us, as well, so when we got in the same room to talk about the future, he was really enthusiastic about becoming Mr. Sharpie."

Earnhardt will also have his own line of No. 8 Sharpie markers that the company will use in advertising and in-store merchandising, and the company is planning a series of show-car programs around the promotion. Junior will also lend a hand to Sharpie's Autographs for Action program, a national cause-related marketing platform benefiting charities with $1 million in both funds and supplies.

"I have used my share of Sharpie markers to sign autographs and in the shop, so bringing Sharpie on as a sponsor was a natural," Earnhardt said. "Sharpie has been part of racing for years and they continue to be committed to the fans and the sport. I can't think of a better fit, not to mention I can get all the Sharpie markers I need now." (Continued)