Daytona 500 Speed Week is almost here. That wasn’t a long offseason was it? The so-called “silly season” won’t be long now as another year of NASCAR racing is about to commence. The sport’s signature event, the 58th Annual Daytona 500 is Sunday, Feb. 21st, just 11 days away.
In order to promote the “Great American Race,” broadcast partner FOX went full on Lindsey Nagle with The Simpsons.
Nagle is a small, but important, re-occurring role character on The Simpsons. She’s also a Wharton MBA who’s “highly sexual” as well. FOX just sent out a promo release which sounds like it was written by Lindsey Nagle. The statements attributed to two corporate executives quoted in the release sound like they could have emerged from Nagle’s mouth as well. Like the time Lisa Simpson asked Nagle what her company actually manufactures?
“Synergy,” Nagle replied.
To view The Simpsons Daytona 500 promotional spot, watch below:
“Being able to tap into such a recognizable, iconic part of pop culture is an extremely strong asset to be able to draw on,” said Robert Gottlieb, FOX Sports EVP of Marketing. “The SIMPSONS have been a part of the American zeitgeist for decades, crossing nearly all desirable demographics … and, candidly, it’s simply a lot of fun to be able to include them in our ongoing efforts to amplify Daytona Day.”
Synergy indeed. Native advertising. Sponsored content. Meta-promotion. Cross-promotion. Self-promotion. So many buzzwords.
“Collaborating with FOX and THE SIMPSONS team to have one of America’s most infamous families attend the DAYTONA 500 is the perfect way to mark the 58th running of this historical race,” said Jill Gregory, senior vice president, marketing and industry services at NASCAR.
So much corporatespeak! They could work for Mr. Burns worldwide.
You got to love how they attempted to be ironic in the way they discussed ads in the Daytona 500 promo spot though. It’s like the time Jewel record that song where she tried to be ironic about selling out, and really did nothing but sell out by recording that song.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes regularly to the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye publication and Bold Global.
He also consistently appears on numerous talk shows all across the country. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram