Motor Sports Division Signs Ford Trucks as Presenting Sponsor for Monster Jam
Clear Channel Entertainment's Motor Sports division today announced a major alliance with Ford Trucks in which the brand will become the official Truck of the 2002-2003 "United States Hot Rod Association(R)'s Monster Jam(R)" series, the premier monster truck racing series in North America.
During the 2002-2003 season, Monster Jam will visit the top 100 markets with 250 performances reaching approximately three million fans nationwide. Ford Trucks will be included in local market advertising and will also be featured in 25 original airings on the TNN Network, totaling 100 hours of Monster Jam programming viewed by 650,000 households per weekend. In addition, the Monster Jam 2002 World Finals will air live on Pay-Per-View and be featured in documentaries on MSNBC and The Learning Channel.
"Monster Jam has a core audience of males between the ages of 18 and 35, a key demographic for Ford Trucks," said Ken Hudgens, Vice President of Marketing, Clear Channel Entertainment - Motor Sports. "This program effectively reaches that demographic with an interactive and high value media program featuring the Ford Trucks brand."
Over 76% of Monster Jam patrons are male with 76% repeat customers, 66% owning a pick-up truck and 70% with an income of $20,000 or higher. Since 1997, Monster Jam's live attendance has skyrocketed from 1,000,000 patrons to 3,000,000, selling out nearly every venue appearance across the US.
Highlights of the multi-platform alliance include name-in-title with Ford Trucks' signature "Built Ford Tough" in all of Monster Jam's logos (a first for Monster Jam), 100% inclusion in media and multiple promotion and on-site opportunities, including two "Blue Thunder" Monster Truck race teams and a nationwide sweepstakes contest. The program also provides a regional opportunity for Ford Truck dealers to drive foot-traffic by becoming included in local media buys.
"Ford Trucks is excited about working with Monster Jam," said Drew Cook, Ford Division Trucks and SUV marketing communication manager. "It is a great way for us to connect with our tough truck owners."
The USHRA(TM), a property of Clear Channel Entertainment, was formed in 1977 as the sanctioning body for tractor pulls. By 1987, the USHRA created the first monster truck series - Monster Jam - with scheduled events and head-to-head match-ups between some of the industry's biggest names. Today, the USHRA is widely recognized as the premier monster truck organization with the USHRA Monster Jam Series serving as the most popular monster truck racing series in the world. At events sanctioned by the USHRA, drivers compete in both freestyle and side-by-side eliminations. During the 2001 season, more than 2.5 million people filled stadiums across the country to watch Grave Digger, Madusa, Team Meents, Avenger, Gunslinger and the rest of the stars of the USHRA Monster Jam Series battle it out.
About Clear Channel Entertainment (formerly SFX)
Clear Channel Entertainment, a leading producer and marketer of live entertainment events, is a subsidiary of Clear Channel Worldwide , a global leader in the out-of-home advertising industry. Clear Channel Entertainment currently owns, operates and/or exclusively books 135 live entertainment venues, including 44 amphitheaters in the U.S. and 28 venues in Europe. Each year, more than 62 million people attend approximately 26,000 events promoted and/or produced by the company, including: Live music events; Broadway, West End and touring theatrical shows; family entertainment shows; and specialized sports and motor sports events.
