I heard that the owners of Triple Crown Winner American Pharoah had sold exclusive sponsorship rights to Monster Energy and private jet service Wheels Up prior to the Belmont Stakes I watched much of the coverage leading up to and following the race to see how it would work. Frankly as far as television exposure went Wheels Up should have saved their money. Even watching on the big screen, I couldn’t read the words on jockey Victor Espinoza’s pants. Millions of You Tube replays… and nothing to show for it. Monster Energy fared a little better. Att least you see the logo on co-owner Justin Zayat’s hat.
Ben Sturner president of the sports marketing firm Leverage that handled the arrangements said,”We’re taking advertising to a different level. Being part of history is something money cannot buy.” If you ask me, money didn’t buy much in the way of noticeable exposure either.
But where one goes others are sure to follow. With a few rule changes it isn’t hard to imagine more logos painted on the sides of thoroughbreds in big races.
On the bright side, there may be an excellent opportunity for Wheels Up to capitalize on their investment should they be bold enough to jump on it. According to Forbes, the company has been granted rights to use American Pharaoh’s name and likeness in advertising. I’m thinking a new logo.
Yeah or neigh?