IZOD is Spending Millions on the IRL but RHR Has no ride!

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Originally Posted by Wilf

Because IZOD is going to spend 6 million dollars on an ad campaign which features RHR and since his team has gone kaput, some feel it is incumbent on the IRL, or more particularly, TG to spend 4 to 6 million to ensure that RHR has a ride so IZOD can benefit from the money it is planning on spending.

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Word on the street is that the IRL hand picked RHR for the IZOD campaign. I'm not sure if they guarenteed he'd have a seat, however, IZOD went to the IRL and had them pick the person they wanted to represent the league, and they picked RHR.

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Originally Posted by Wilf

Because IZOD is going to spend 6 million dollars on an ad campaign which features RHR and since his team has gone kaput, some feel it is incumbent on the IRL, or more particularly, TG to spend 4 to 6 million to ensure that RHR has a ride so IZOD can benefit from the money it is planning on spending.

If the IRL had assured IZOD that RHR would have a ride then, yes, there is an obligation. But, short of that, the league should do what it can to see that a sponsor who made a deal with a possible participant doesn't get embarrassed because they were less than competent when they developed their plan. I believe they are doing just that.

However, the entire IZOD deal is baffling. Can you buy IZOD/IRL merchandise? I haven't been able to locate any even though we are approaching the second year of the relationship. I do know you can buy some sharp NIKE and Reebok Centennial logo'd merchandise at brickyard.com. I know they are doing their darnedest to prove they are two separate and distinct companies but if it is believed they can sell a shirt for 50 bucks celebrating the centennial they should have similarly priced merchandise with IRL logos and that would be in the IZOD price range. Where is it???

So, while I don't believe there is any reason to fund a ride for RHR, the IZOD/IRL partnership appears to have been poorly managed by both IZOD and the IRL.

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Apparently you can buy Izod IRL stuff: http://thescore.ibj.com/content/?p=511 There are references to it on their web page in the "spotlight" section. (Their entire website is a rather lame Flash interface, with no substance to it at all!)

And while the IRL itself may not have a contractual reason to make sure RHR is in a car, they would be really stupid not to make sure someone get him a ride. Talk about wasted opportunities!

Gary

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Originally Posted by garyshell

And while the IRL itself may not have a contractual reason to make sure RHR is in a car, they would be really stupid not to make sure someone get him a ride. Talk about wasted opportunities!

Gary

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Agreed Gary.

If they IRL spends 5 million to get RHR a ride, they would be getting any exposure RHR provides through races, adding another car to the field for all race weekends, adding an american to the field, and getting another 6 million worth of marketing.

If they don't get him a ride, they get 6 Million of marketing that probably really equates to 1 or 2 million since RHR isn't actually driving.

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Originally Posted by Chamoo

Word on the street is that the IRL hand picked RHR for the IZOD campaign. I'm not sure if they guarenteed he'd have a seat, however, IZOD went to the IRL and had them pick the person they wanted to represent the league, and they picked RHR.

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If the IRL picked RHR they should have made sure the guy had a contract somewheres. My god with all the drivers in the IRL they couldn't find ONE who as signed that would be suitable?

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Originally Posted by Starter

I think they were looking for an American driver, of which there's precious few.

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What about Marco? Unless Michael was an investor in a Madoff fund, or forgot to have W#3 sign the prenup, Marco probably has about the safest seat in the entire IRL.

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Originally Posted by Mark in Oshawa

If the IRL picked RHR they should have made sure the guy had a contract somewheres. My god with all the drivers in the IRL they couldn't find ONE who as signed that would be suitable?

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Mark, I am pretty sure that at the time the campaign was started (not rolled out mind you just started), he did have a contract. And a sponsor that, again at the time, seemed rock solid. Who would have thought, then, that gasoline prices would drop by over 50% and that corn base ethanol would no longer be cost competitive? Fast forward a year latter as the campaign is being rolled out and the sponsor has evaporated along taking down the team with it.

Gary

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Originally Posted by Starter

He may be a tad young for the demographic they are trying to reach.

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I admit, I didn't even know the brand was still around until I saw this thread. I thought it died with the 80's. So it sounds like its made a comeback. What group makes up the current market?

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Originally Posted by Jag_Warrior

I admit, I didn't even know the brand was still around until I saw this thread. I thought it died with the 80's. So it sounds like its made a comeback. What group makes up the current market?

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Izod has always catered to a demographic similar to my age group or a higher end Abercrombie & Fitch crowd (College, Young Professionals, etc). Cheesy as it may sound but I really like their clothing, despite the over bloated price.