Study: NASCAR Sponsor Exposure Down 25%

Sponsorship & media measurement firm, Joyce Julius & Associates, Inc. says that for the first three NASCAR Sprint Cup events of 2011, overall team sponsor exposure fell 25% compared to the same point in the season a year ago. On average, JJA's study shows that per hour cumulative exposure time accumulated by team sponsors fell from 1:05:43 at the same point a year ago to 49:06 this season.

Joyce Julius calculates television exposure value by comparing the in-broadcast visual and verbal exposure to the estimated cost of a national commercial during the telecast and applying Joyce Julius Recognition Grading -- which takes into account such factors as size and placement of the image on screen, as well as brand clutter and integration of the brand into the activity.

"This is a very small sample set, and the second race was held at a different track this year, so these results could swing over the next few races," said Eric Wright, vice president of research and product development for Joyce Julius & Associates. "But we are also seeing a 47% decline in average verbal mentions for the team sponsors and a 22% decrease in hood exposure. These are two leading indicators and they are down right now."