NHRA regulates off track behavior.........

[Jim Craig]

perhaps NHRA ought to buy some ad time during the 4 hour time slot (of "Motor Mondays" on Discovery) touting the advantages and benefits of being a member of the NHRA, they'd sure as hell be getting more looks at their prospective audience then they get on any given Saturday night at 2 am or Sunday night at 10. Got to look at it from the marketing side....it's all about the benjamins' and those guys are garning the most of it right now....it'll fade (as far as TV), but I believe the smart (and quiet) money is on them -- it's the automotive aftermarket "golden" demographics and if you're in the business you've got to be there one way, shape, form or another.....just keep this in perspective.....the same network brings you the Amish Mafia and Moonshiners' and they brought Jesse James and the American Chopper guys to a whole 'nother level.

[Michael Beard]

Originally Posted by Jim Craig

perhaps NHRA ought to buy some ad time during the 4 hour time slot (of "Motor Mondays" on Discovery) touting the advantages and benefits of being a member of the NHRA, they'd sure as hell be getting more looks at their prospective audience then they get on any given Saturday night at 2 am or Sunday night at 10. Got to look at it from the marketing side....it's all about the benjamins' and those guys are garning the most of it right now.

x2. They chose the route they did, which has generated a firestorm, instead of turning it into a positive and using the existing show as a platform to promote legal drag racing. They could have created incentives to draw the participants and its fans to sanctioned dragstrips (which tracks have independently already been doing), and created fun and safe events at those tracks where people could legally participate in the loosely structured environment they crave.

I personally couldn't stand more than 15-20 minutes of the show the one time I stumbled across it, but their reach and fan base is undeniable. The sanctioning body had an opportunity to turn the messaging in their favor, but their choices ended up alienating a large swath of their potential audience instead.

[Alan Nyhus]

Originally Posted by Michael Beard

x2. They chose the route they did, which has generated a firestorm, instead of turning it into a positive and using the existing show as a platform to promote legal drag racing. They could have created incentives to draw the participants and its fans to sanctioned dragstrips (which tracks have independently already been doing), and created fun and safe events at those tracks where people could legally participate in the loosely structured environment they crave.

I personally couldn't stand more than 15-20 minutes of the show the one time I stumbled across it, but their reach and fan base is undeniable. The sanctioning body had an opportunity to turn the messaging in their favor, but their choices ended up alienating a large swath of their potential audience instead.

Absolutely. And consider that the Street Outlaws show opens with a disclaimer: "Street racing is dangerous and highly illegal. Just because we're dumbazzes doesn't mean you should be."

Had NHRA bought some commercial time, the show would actually be supporting NHRA's position.

Who advises these guys on marketing strategy????