Music Meets the Indy 500: The Tweet That Informed Us All

Justin Timberlake is known for his all-around entertainment achievements.  He started his career as a singer then ventured off into acting, restaurant ownerships, a liquor brand and now a clothing line.

The singer's clothing line William Rast, which he started with longtime friend Tracy Ayala in 2006 is making headlines around the world.  Most recently, the brand has taken on a life of it’s own by becoming a sponsor for the car was driven by British racing veteran Dan Wheldon.

Timberlake sent out a Tweet, which stated:

"What a Memorial Day weekend! The William Rast car just won the Indy 500!!!!”

Dan Wheldon, an England native who last held an Indy 500 championship title back in 2005, recently won the championship title for the drag-style race over the Memorial Day Holiday.

Timberlake later wrote: "Congrats to Dan Wheldon, the WR racing team and everyone else who put in the hard work for this victory! Unreal!"

Within any instances of a company sponsoring an event for naming rights or for a broader visual presence, the sponsors pay for majority of the costs.

As per the 2010 Indy 500 race, depending upon the attendance and accessory awards; the 2010 payoff was $13.6 million, of which winner Dario Franchitti received a record $2.75 million for his win.  Dan Wheldon was awarded $2.56 Million for his win.

As most of the world already knows, social media is the most efficient way for companies to market their businesses.  Approximately 36 percent of small-business owners report using social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, compared with 19 percent last year.  Combined, Facebook and Twitter have over 600 million active users worldwide. 

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the world’s largest spectator sporting facility, with more than 250,000 permanent seats.  The driving distance for completion of the race is 500 miles; 200 laps around the asphalt-on-brick Indianapolis Motor Speedway track.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqRduJHyvHM 

References:

Daily Mail Reporter. (2011, May 30). 'Unreal!'  Justin Timberlake left thrilled after the race car he sponsors wins the Indy 500. Retrieved May 2, 2011, from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1392254/Justin-Timberlake-left-thrilled-race-car-sponsors-wins-Indy-5000.html.

Lopez, Kristina. (2011, May 29).  Justin Timberlake Tweets his sponsored race car's big win at the Indy 500. Retrieved May 2, 2011, from http://www.ontheredcarpet.com/Justin-Timberlake-Tweets-his-sponsored-race-cars-big-win-at-the-Indy-500/8159558.

Kiss Metrics. (n.d.).  Twitter Statistics. Retrieved May 2, 2011, from http://blog.kissmetrics.com/twitter-statistics/.

Sauer, Abe.  (n.d.).  Brand Channel. William Rast Racing Wins Indy 500, Secures Danica but Not URL.  Retrieved May 2, 2011, from http://www.brandchannel.com/home/post/2011/05/31/William-Rast-Is-Racing-Cars-With-Mixed-Results.aspx.


Tom.  (n.d.).  Black Box Social Media. Social Media Marketing for Small Businesses.  Retrieved May 2, 2011, from http://blackboxsocialmedia.com/social-media-marketing-statistics-for-small-businesses/