Belmont Stakes Attracts New Sponsors
Contributed By Dave "Daily Double" WildermuthPosted on 6/9/15 7:54 AM
History was made on June 6th, 2015 as there was a Triple Crown Winner for the first time in 37 years! It is also interesting to note that there were many interesting sponsors looking to get noticed and be part of the possible moment at the 147th running of the Belmont Stakes! And these 3 companies hit the nail on the head and maximized exposure! Here are some of the unique sponsors involved at Belmont Park.
DraftKings: Draftkings is one of the big 2 in the DFS (Daily Fantasy Sports) market. The other big dog in town is Fanduel who has also been flexing their marketing prowess at big events, (Most recently the Mayweather Fight). As part of the new marketing deal, Draftkings put on a DFS contest for MLB where the winner won trip to New York to attend the race as well as a VIP package. The deal also included a tremendous amount of race day exposure including branded apparel on all horses and gate crew, a branded cooler blanket on the winning horse of the Belmont Stakes at the conclusion of the race, a Belmont Stakes branded DraftKings Player Lounge and an exclusive hospitality area for VIP race fans. DraftKings will also be visible to sports fans across the country with a number of advertisements and promotions for the brand airing during the in-race broadcast on NBC. I think DraftKings couldn't have picked a better time than now to get involved in horse racing!
Photo Credit: Brad Penner USA Today Sports
Monster Energy: At the last minute, Monster Energy inked a deal with American Pharoah. As a matter of fact, It is the biggest in horse racing history! While the exact number is not known, it is said to be in the seven figures! While Monster Energy has sponsored professional athletes before, this is the first time they have sponsored a horse! And Monster Energy Couldn't have picked a better time than now to invest in American Pharoah which Monster Exec Mitch Covington was quoted as saying is not only an athlete, but "a superstar in the making." Not to mention the image of Victor Espinoza holding that Monster Energy drink after making history! Monster Energy's youthful demographics will certainly bring new faces to horse racing. Monster Energy will have its logo on the horse barn, the jockey's ascot and the flysheet, or horses blanket. It will be interesting to see how Monster Energy's youthful brand and the Belmont Stakes traditions will propel the sport of horse racing into the future!
Photo Credit: Gary Gershoff/Getty Images
Burger King: By far my favorite Sponsor of the night was Burger King. Somehow, the chain managed to convince American Pharoah's trainer Bob Baffert to let "The King," hangout in his box for the race on Saturday! "The King's" appearance at Belmont with Baffert netted the fast food giant $136,000 in exposure. Interestingly, Burger King made a similar offer at the Preakness only to have Baffert nix the idea. However, Burger King fired back a $200,000 offer for the Belmont and offered part of the donation to go towards the Permanently Disabled Jockey Fund. This struck a chord with Baffert and he agreed to allow "The King" in his box! "The King" recently made another appearance at the latest Mayweather bout! BK paid a cool 1 million dollars to have "The King" be part of Mayweather entourage! I wonder where he will show up next?
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