NASCAR has a long and storied history of achieving and cultivating an almost religious customer satisfaction with its fans. It has parlayed those efforts into one of the most recognized training brands in the world. Brian Moyer, Managing Director of Market and Media Research, shared his thoughts on how an online panel has been used to engage NASCAR fans in a webinar.
Fan Intelligence is the term NASCAR uses for its customer-based online panel research initiatives.
The organizations manage 11 racing series, including three international ones. The family-owned company sanctions more than 1,200 races in North America and Europe each year.
NASCAR is feeling the effects of a customer who knows what they want, a trend in consumer products and retail that is also affecting the entertainment space.
The rise of social media and other methods beyond television has allowed customers to follow, and to some extent influence, their favorite brands (or in this case drivers). This is due to the shift from one-way communication to two-way dialogue thanks to the online panel.
One of the main challenges facing NASCAR and its investigations is luxembourg phone number the high level of stakeholder involvement.
There are many internal (e.g., ticket sales and fan experience) and external groups including race teams, individual drivers, team owners, commercial partners, and non-profit causes that research needs to support.
They began the process in 2008, shifting their sources from a traditional research design to an online insight panel , which allowed them to gather feedback and ideas faster (though not as fast as a team of mechanics can change tires).
Brian mentioned that the virtual community has a waiting list to join and is focused on connecting with its fan base. He said that they speak differently to fans than to those who are new to the sport.
Keeping the community active and fresh is a difficult task. NASCAR employs different tactics to keep its community members engaged.
They don't use incentives, but they do allow fans to express their feelings. They provide the insider perspective to their members with quarterly newsletters and timely communications, such as a congratulatory email when their favorite runner wins a race.
Research team members are known to pick up the phone and call fans after receiving a note from a panelist. The end result is a group of respondents who are proud to be part of the official fan council.