Image by Levitt/Motorsport Images
Racing’s proof of life and promise of better days ahead
You are likely reading these words while at home as we all do our part to put the brakes on the coronavirus pandemic. Thank you to everyone that’s answered the call from our RACER team to tell the story of the impact this crisis is having on motorsports. All of us at Racer Media & Marketing are safe and healthy, and we wish the same for you and your family.
As we collectively face up to this moment, I’ll share news that should give those involved in motorsports cause for optimism. Based on RACER.com’s Google Analytics metrics from the first quarter of 2020, our audience is still growing despite the global lockdown. RACER.com’s readers are as engaged and passionate as they were before the postponement and cancellation of most live events in March. Here are some of the highlights:
On top of all this, RACER on Apple News saw an average of 117,942 monthly unique users during Q1 2020. This, along with RACER's 500,000+ social media followers, generates on average 888,153 monthly user engagements, including more than 298,000 monthly shares of content directly from RACER.com.
The strong audience growth and engagement we saw in Q1 2020 is continuing into April despite the ongoing situation.
Adapting to an ever-changing environment
As leading sanctioning bodies and racing series quickly pivoted to Esports so did RACER.com by launching a dedicated Esports channel. We have long been advocates of Esports since our internal agency team worked with iRacing in 2007 to develop the pre-launch brand positioning for this leading auto racing simulation platform.
Continuing the Esports theme, our creative agency, RACER Studio, has collaborated with longtime client, Toyota Motor North America, to produce an inter-squad clash of Toyota drivers and personalities on Sony PlayStation’s Gran Turismo to see who can set the fastest lap in a Toyota GR Supra (image above). The challenge will rage throughout April on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Read all about it here.
In addition to expanded Esports coverage, our team is generating ongoing content about the impact of the pandemic on racing teams and related businesses. RACER.com's editors are also collaborating with our friends at EPARTRADE to expand our coverage of the racing business community that is the foundation of the sport.
Our RACER team stands ready to provide content marketing services, social media amplification or organization of virtual events to support your business during these challenging times.
We are also adjusting the deadlines and issue cadence for RACER, SportsCarand Vintage Motorsport magazines to better align with the projected arc of the pandemic and the eventual return to on-track activity. This will be covered in an upcoming email once the final details are resolved.
The bottom line is that there is still tremendous audience energy behind our sport. We believe that RACER.com metrics are proof of life for the motorsport industry during this difficult moment, and we know that we are all in this together. Our audience is your audience, so please don't hesitate to reach out if you believe our editors or our commercial team can help you and your company be ready for the reboot of the racing season and economy.
Sincerely,
Paul Pfanner / paul.pfanner@racer.com
Founder and CEO
Racer Media & Marketing, Inc.
Editorial & Creative Team:
Laurence Foster, Editor-in-Chief, RACER / laurence.foster@racer.com
Mark Glendenning, Editor, RACER.com / mark@racer.com
Philip Royle, Editor, SportsCar / proyle@racer.com
d.randyriggs@comcast.net
George Tamayo, Creative Director, RACER Studio / george.tamayo@racer.com
Commerical Team:
Nicole Szawlowski, Advertising Director / nicole@racer.com / 949.417.6722
Raelyn Stokes, Business Development / raelyn@racer.com / 949.417.6705
John Chambers, Global Sales / motoring1@aol.com / 44.0.7770.643749
Debi Brand, Advertising Sales / debi@vintagemotorsport.com / 225.335.9060
Rick Bisbee, Advertising Sales / rick@vintagemotorsport.com / 312.285.8720
Bruce Kukuk, VP & Associate Publisher / bruce@racer.com / 949.417.6720
Paul Pfanner
Paul Pfanner is the founder, President and Executive Publisher of RACER magazine and RACER.com and is also the CEO of the Racer Studio creative services and branded content agency. Pfanner began his career in racing media as an art director for FORMULA magazine and later, SportsCar magazine before failing spectacularly as he attempted to become an editor. All of this was a transparent ploy to fund Pfanner’s desire to race but after he proved to be unemployable, he had no choice abandon his racing ambitions so he started his own publishing house and creative agency in 1979 which was the forerunner of Racer Media & Marketing, Inc. Pfanner sold the majority of Racer Communications, Inc in January 2001 to Haymarket Media and re-acquired the company with his original partners Rob and Chris Dyson in March 2012 which now operates under the name Racer Media & Marketing, Inc.
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