Rotating signage on GEM's Busch car provides return

The Ultimate Chargers have legs.

Unilever's unique sponsorship arrangement with Gillet Evernham Motorsports is coming to the end of its second season with plans going forward for a third and even a fourth, so you might say it's been a pretty good vehicle for one of the world's largest pre-packaged goods companies.

To recap, the Ultimate Chargers program rotates several brands through sponsorship on GEM's Busch Series cars and serves as associate sponsors on the Nextel Cup Dodges the team fields. In 2007, there were nine brands in rotation; in 2008, that number will be seven.

"We work so far in advance, we're working on the '08 program right now, finalizing activation at the track and some of the retail activation programs that will be going on throughout the year," said Nancy Davis, manager of Building Brands for Customers, Southeast Division. "In the next month or two, believe it or not, we're going to start working on how we want to progress in 2009. Like most PPG companies, we work that far in advance."

That gives you an idea that the program is doing what it is supposed to for Unilever and its brands.

Given that the brands operate as independent business silos within the Unilever structure, NASCAR is a perfect platform for them to activate according to goals and objectives, Davis said.

"The only difference in the program from '07 to 2008, and this is the beauty of having a sponsorship from Unilever first and our brands underneath, is we are able to affect each year and say, 'Which brands make the most sense to be back in the program and which on the sidelines can we insert in?'

"We also look at some brands whose marketing goals and objectives have changed, so it gives us an opportunity to maybe take out Brand X and place in Brand Y. It's been a good opportunity to work the program."

Davis said that two brands -- SlimFast weight loss products and Wishbone salad dressing -- would not participate in the program in 2008.

"One thing we have found with weight-loss products is that, while there are many consumers that fall within the interest of weight loss, when it comes to the track, they really don't want to think about it," Davis said. "They want to drink their beer and eat their hot dogs, and I can understand that. We found it was kind of an interesting play. The demographics certainly can support it, but the consumers' minds really aren't there.

"We did very well with Wishbone, but one thing with salad dressings is that they are very regional in nature. It was challenging for them to try that from a national basis."

Demographics and consumer pull-through remain the top measurements of the program's success, and last year at this time, return on investment was perking along at about 5:1 -- monster numbers in the sponsorship game.

It is the use of demographics and some innovative programs from partner A.C. Neilsen that allow Davis to keep track of her program's dollars.

"The first two years, we had a pretty good hunch that our Ragu consumer was in line with the NASCAR consumer," Davis said. "What we have done over the past two years is partner with A.C. Neilsen and their Neilsen Family program. We do a lot of projects with them anyway, and they take a combination of syndicated data and panel data (families who write down everything they purchase). Based on that discipline, it's been a tremendous guidance for us.

"We have been able to say, 'OK, this brand makes sense to keep in; hey, here's a brand we haven't really thought about. Let's go talk to that brand manager because it would be an excellent fit and a great opportunity.'

"That certainly has provided us with factual direction, not just hunches."

Unilever's partner in the program, Gillet Evernham Motorsports, should add a bigger hammer to Davis' tool box in 2008. The merger that created GEM is a plus, Davis said.

"If anything, it will be very positive, because they now have the resources of someone looking at it from the business side," she said. "Not that Evernham did a poor job before, but as Ray said, it's very difficult to run the business and the competition. It gives him the opportunity to focus on the competition and it gives George Gillet and his team the opportunity to come in and take over the business side, which he is very adept at doing. It's going to be a positive."

Davis is wholly committed to this program, and even moved to Charlotte to be closer to it.

"In addition to my role with the NASCAR sponsorship part of Unilever, my full-time job is shopper marketing with Southeast retailers," Davis said. "I had been working that territory out of our corporate headquarters in New Jersey for about five years, and when they opened the new office in Charlotte, I thought it would be a great opportunity to not only get closer to my customers, but to get closer to NASCAR."

Unilever is committed to NASCAR for the foreseeable future, and so is Davis. This is a program that offers the big three of business: flexibility, functionality and return.