Experimentation and Social Media 

Thoughts by Panelist Kevin Kennedy, PCG Campbell, Ford Racing

Come to the Summit to engage with Kevin and 9 other speakers

A wise, not-so-old social media guru once told me forever ago (or, in this case, one year ago):  “The great thing about social media right now is that because it’s still emerging, there’s not one right or wrong way to approach it.  Experiment.  Try new things.  Things that work - keep doing.  Things that don’t - stop.”

In a lot of ways, that’s still great advice.

You see, in the motorsport world, the social media aspect of the sport is truly still emerging, with drivers, teams, sponsors, manufacturers, and even media, all trying to see what works and resonates when they’re trying to communicate.

The one common factor among these constituents, however, is that all of them are trying to reach the same group of people – the race fan.

With the traditional media market rapidly changing, and the power and the capability of the internet still growing, this “direct to consumer,” or in this case, “direct to race fan” communication is growing more and more important as a way to help return additional ROI to the racing investment.

That said, I’m looking forward to this first Social Media Motorsport Conference in Charlotte for a lot of reasons … a chance to network, to meet others in the racing business, a chance to hear other opinions on what may be working and what may not in social media outreach.

I look forward to sharing thoughts, but look forward just as much to learning from what others are doing.

After all, there’s a lot of experimenting still to be had.

We welcome The Bray Law Firm as a sponsor for the Social Media Motorsports Summit  

The Bray Law Firm is a boutique law practice in Charlotte, North Carolina which represents corporate clients and their owners in business transactions and litigation matters.  In addition to representing traditional corporate clients in industries ranging from private equity to construction services, the Bray Law Firm is unique in the Charlotte region with respect to its emphasis on the practice areas of sports and entertainment.  Since being founded in 2003, the firm has become one of the leading groups in the region with experience in representing athletes, artists and the companies that produce and promote their services.

The firm’s motorsports practice includes the representation of some of the top young teams and drivers in NASCAR, including Joey Logano, Braun Racing, Trevor Bayne and Kelly Bires, among others.  In addition, the firm has experience in other circuits such as Rally USA, ARCA, IRL, Champ Car, NHRA and APBA.  The nature of the work handled by the Bray Law Firm on behalf of its clients ranges from the preparation and negotiation of contracts to complex litigation and the prosecution of intellectual property rights.  The firm’s attorneys are active within the racing community, and understand the highly personal and competitive nature of competing at the highest levels of motorsports.

For more information on the Bray Law Firm, please contact its managing member William Bray by email at wbray@braylaw.com, or by telephone at (704) 523-7777.  The firm’s website is located at www.braylaw.com.

Attendees and panelists at the Social Media Summit include executives representing Stewart-Haas, Roush, Bank of America, NASCAR, ARCA, Facebook, Ford, Fanscape, GeniusRocket.com, and Chevrolet.

 We expect this event to sell out so we recommend you register by January 18, 2010 to guarantee your spot. 

We are growing this event via word of mouth marketing and social media. If there is someone we should add to our mailing list, please e-mail Andrew Kaplan at ewarriorbizdev@gmail.com or call 704-293-2151  We have a new PDF to promote this event to sponsors as well.

Our traditional media coverage is expected to begin next week to a wider audience.

Leilani Munter, ARCA driver, and "Carbon Free Girl" is a confirmed speaker on our branding panel Leilani has brought an innovative branding strategy to her pursuit of a career as a professional driver. Leilani is being sponsored by "Green" companies for the 2010 season. She also uses her visibility as one of the leading  female drivers to be a an advocate for Green causes doing public speaking from Washington, DC  to California.  www.leilanimunter.com

Happy New Year! Wishing all of our friends a happy and healthy 2010.  We are going to have a blast at the Summit. Remember to buy your tickets early, quantities are limited and we expect a sellout!

Why you need to attend the SUMMIT: Did you know most companies did not budget or have a plan for social media strategies in 2009?  Most were reacting to this explosive growth of twitter, LinkedIn, facebook. and youtube.  For 2010, there is time to plan and understand how to get a return on investment of time and resources. Your attendance at the Summit will provide you with the knowledge and decision making tools worth thousands of dollars. In addition, you will be able to continue to network with our attendees and world class speakers on Facebook and Twitter, long after the conference is over.  Looking forward to seeing you at the Summit

The Social Media Motorsports Summit (SMMS) is excited to announce that Terry Dry, President of Fanscape will be one of our panelists at the Social Media Motorsports Summit. 

Terry Dry is president and co-founder of Fanscape (www.fanscape.com), the leading Digital Word of Mouth Marketing Agency with more than a decade of experience reaching and activating consumers through targeted online and emerging media campaigns. Fanscape’s online influencer marketing experts have in-depth understanding of niche audiences and consumer behaviors across the Web, providing highly measurable, earned media strategies for major corporations and leading entertainment, technology and mobile companies, including: AT&T Samsung; Paramount Pictures; M&Ms State Farm Insurance; MTV, Universal Music Group, and more.  

Dry co-founded Fanscape after more than 20 years of perfecting opportunities for consumers to support and engage with their favorite musicians in online communities and holding such positions as Vice President of Artist Development/Tour Marketing at Interscope/Geffen/A&M Records. Dry recognized the successful blueprint for making meaningful connections between artists and listeners could be applied to both corporations and brands and launched Fanscape with CEO Larry Weintraub in 1998. 

Dry is a member of the newly formed Social Media Advertising Consortium's Standards Board and speaks frequently at marketing and entertainment trade conferences including Digital Hollywood, What Teens Want, Billboard, The Mobile Entertainment Summit, MarketingSherpa, WOMMA and others. He is also a frequent guest speaker at major universities including UCLA, USC and Vanderbilt University.