Make it Champ Car sponship and I'll donate $100
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| Author | Content |
|---|---|
| TOP2percent Apr 11, 2007 1:35 PM EDT |
edit: that should be "sponsorship"!.. topic title too long? I've no interest in IndyCar or the Indy500, though I hear Marty Roth has some empty space on his Indy500 entry - and I'm sure his sidepod goes cheap. He usually spins a lot during practice - guaranteeing anyone who sponsors him some tv time. If I was donating money to an IndyCar team - I'd recommend going with him. But I'm not so instead I'll say this: Make the goal a thought-out and seriously-marketed web-campaign for a season-long Champ Car sponsorship with a team like Dale Coyne Racing and I'll throw in $100, and personally recruit at least 10 more of the same. |
| dcparris Apr 11, 2007 1:40 PM EDT |
I'm not real sure how it works, but how about you throw in your $100 and recruit 10 more and help raise enough money to sponsor a champ car. ;-) |
| TOP2percent Apr 11, 2007 2:13 PM EDT |
Fan sponsorship of this type plain & simple doesn't work - for a number of reasons. Here's how it works - IndyCar's "biggest fans" (including the Camp&Brew gang - and trust me, they are HARDCORE!!) were trying to fund a similar effort and after 10 weeks of spreading the word on websites & via email - have amassed: -------------------- Total number of pledges 73 Total pledge $ 6751 Average pledge $ 92.48 -------------------- And by the way, $350K gets you sponsorship of someone like Stephan Gregoire's car - he was so slow last year he was parked with "handling" issues listed as official reason for retirement after only 49 laps. Yup, that's money well spent. A half-decent team is much more expensive than $350K. Good luck Linuxers - this story was probably worth $10 in amusement alone. |
| jimf Apr 11, 2007 2:20 PM EDT |
> A half-decent team is much more expensive than $350K. A very good point... 'Much' more!!! |
| dcparris Apr 11, 2007 2:50 PM EDT |
Well, this non-racing fan can certainly learn something new. Thanks for the heads up! |
| helios Apr 11, 2007 4:28 PM EDT |
Don, I could be totally wrong, but guys like top2 wouldn't donate to ANY cause. They always find reasons they don't like this project or that project. They just keep on taking what they can, using Linux day in and day out without any hint of community spirit or need to give something back. He, along with many others have been offered the chance to help other advertising efforts and they stick up their noses at everything that is suggested. Nothing is ever just quite right for their money. Yet, the ideas they have to advertise linux remain just that...ideas. It takes an amazing amount of work to put something like this together. "Hey, linux is FREE, FREE, FREE. What part of FREE didn't you understand?" That was one of the responses our last call for advertising donations got us. Top2...I like Don's Idea. I will even give you an account at the blog of helios. We pull down some fairly decent numbers there. I am sure the idea Don suggested would merit some positive response. Let me know and I will set it up for you. I am sure I am associating you with the wrong crowd. C'm-on...let's get some advertising done. Your idea sounds like a winner. h |
| DarrenR114 Apr 12, 2007 7:18 AM EDT |
My wife bought me a Tux baseball cap from thinkgeek and it's gotten a couple of comments from people like the 16-yr-old female behind the counter at Dominoe's Pizza:
"Ooooo, cute penguin!" She had no idea what Tux symbolised, just that the penguin was cute. Contrast this with the middle-aged guy behind the counter at a transmission repair shop who knew what Tux symbolised and asked me which distribution I'd recommend for him as a beginner to replace his ailing MS-Windows XP install. My wife also bought a black polo shirt with an embroidered Tux on the front, which brings the same sort of responses (but when worn with the cap, is a little more effective). I don't take the 20-inch plush Tux out into public (my son tried to take full custody of it, and negotiated {more like mandated} a joint-custody arrangement until my wife bought one for him.) |
| jdixon Apr 12, 2007 7:28 AM EDT |
> "Ooooo, cute penguin!" You should see the reactions the LinuxFund card get's from cashiers. If only I'd known how much women like penguins when I was single. :( |
| dcparris Apr 12, 2007 7:38 AM EDT |
I think seeing Tux and "Team Linux" will help the recognition problem. At least we won't get quite as many blank stares. And considering I live in a race town, well, that might be useful. |
| bundy Apr 12, 2007 7:06 PM EDT |
Just to enlighten everyone... The Indianapolis 500 last year generated more TV exposure value for team sponsors in a SINGLE RACE than the Champ Car World Series did for its ENTIRE 14 RACE SEASON. This fact has been documented by Joyce Julius and Associates, the recognized research industry leader in the measurement of TV broadcast exposure value for motorsports sponsors. Their research results showed that 29 Indy 500 team sponsors received over $1/2 million in exposure value just during the live TV race broadcast alone. This doesn't count the 20+ other broadcast hours of practice and qualifying during the month of May, not to mention national and international web and print media exposure. So we should sponsor a Champ Car instead of a car in the Indianapolis 500 because...???? |
| TOP2percent Apr 14, 2007 3:15 PM EDT |
1. ^^^^^ helios - you' wrong - I've donated to Hole in the Wall Gang (a Champ Car supported charity) and personally contributed to & raised approximately $3000 for medical research in charity go-kart races that I've participated in. 2. ^ bundy - You quoted JJ&A as saying that last year there was a "$1/2 million in exposure value" for the "29 Indy 500 team sponsors". You should probably know that the 'missing' 4 cars in the field (I thought it was 3 but whatever) had NO sponsorship, and that the figure there is based on TOTAL exposure time / # of cars with sponsors -- NOT a $1/2million worth of exposure for each individual sponsor. The cars shown on tv and that had their names repeated on air were the cars in the lead, cars crashing, and - Danica Patrick. You probably shouldn't sponsor a Champ Car instead of an Indy500 entry because I'm sure it would still fail, but I guarantee you there'd be more people interested in the idea that anything to do with Tony George's Indy Racing League. 3. The kicker of this whole situation - I know my stuff, and 3 days ago when I said "by the way, $350K gets you sponsorship of someone like Stephan Gregoire's car" - I had NO IDEA that that was who was actually being considered. Imagine my surprise today then when I saw a link to a story on the front page of Indy500.com that goes into a little more detail about this Linux-car effort and IT IS STEPHAN GREGOIRE that is being considered! Haha - not knocking the guy but I have to laugh: the team Gregoire hopes to drive for and that Bob Moore wishes to have Linux users' sponsor money go to is Chastain Motorsports. What the story doesn't mention is that the last time Chastain Motorsports ever took part in an IndyCar race was in 1998 - with Gregoire at the wheel (the article did however mention he drove for them in '98). Nine years ago, IRL IndyCar was quite a different scene to what it is today: there was no Team Penske, no Andretti-Green, no Chip Ganassi, no Rahal (they were all still in CART at the time). It was a bunch of low-budget teams and no-name drivers - in fact, Eddie Cheever won the 500 that year so enough said. Gregoire finished 17th that year - I dread to think what 9 years away from the sport would net them this year. They'll probably just be thankful if there's no bumping on "bump day" again this year. And by the way - that pathetic no-name field in 1998 drew a tv audience of a 6.0/19 share (5.4million households). Last year's race - with all of the above mentioned teams and "big-name"(they're not) drivers (inc Stephan Gregoire and Danica Patrick!!) drew.. a 5.0/14 share. That's still a good number of eyeballs - but a far cry from the 9.4/28 share it drew in 1994 and before. Indy ain't what it used to be. In conclusion: there's probably far better & longer-lasting ways of spending your money and getting exposure for Tux. Not sure what they are - am just saying. |
| bundy Apr 14, 2007 5:02 PM EDT |
TOP2percent - You complain about the team and driver, but very conveniently fail to mention that the article you cite is almost entirely focused on...LINUX!!! Imagine that? You want to talk about racing, but we just want to get the Linux name out. LXers - read the article for yourself at http://www.indy500.com/news/story.php?story_id=8602 and see if I'm mistaken. The Tux 500 program is a means to an end. You can debate all you want about how to spend marketing dollars to promote Linux, but judging from the exposure in this article, published by a nearly 100 year old, globally recognized sporting institution, it looks to me like this marketing program is working pretty good so far. And the car hasn't even hit the track yet... |
| bigg Apr 14, 2007 6:08 PM EDT |
I was hoping we'd get Ricky Bobby. Just to repeat a point I made elsewhere. This is more than a matter of finding the best way to promote Linux. It's a matter of actually promoting Linux, which is an entirely new concept, and however it will be done, it will be effective because it hasn't been done before. Hopefully there will be other promotions in the future. We can make a list in a couple years and figure out which was most effective. |
| helios Apr 14, 2007 7:49 PM EDT |
Hopefully there will be other promotions in the future. We can make a list in a couple years and figure out which was most effective. Bigg, we've had our differences of opinion in the past and thats all they have been is friendly differences...but this time my friend... You couldn't have hit it any more square on the head. This is EXACTLY what this is. This is just the starting gate. From here, its onward and upward. People who are making fun and running down this effort have got to be just ate up inside that it is actually beginning to work. There is some real jealousy here and I couldn't be more happy. This is killing some folks who thought it would last 48 hours then disappear. In fact, that was said on a certain website a certain poster here visits often. gotta love it...and they act like this is done without lost sleep, tons of Maalox and tons of time away from family. It makes me wonder if they would make the sacrifices for this community. I somehow have to think not...but hey...I could be wrong. It has happened on occasion. |
| dcparris Apr 14, 2007 9:24 PM EDT |
I am definitely interested in seeing who actually supports the project. But yeah, it's all about getting GNU/Linux out there - something no one has attempted to date. It's about time someone did, which is one reason I'm helping the way I am. |
| TOP2percent Apr 14, 2007 9:38 PM EDT |
^^^ bundy - wrote: "You complain about the team and driver, but very conveniently fail to mention that the article you cite is almost entirely focused on...LINUX!!!" No, the article there talks about the team, the driver, 1 paragraph on Linux as an OS, then on to Bob Moore's idea and his efforts to put the idea into action, a mention of Tux as mascot, and finally the monetary goal of the sponsorship drive. There you go - you guys should be happy - you've already got more ink than you would have if you did nothing. Refund everyone their donations and it didn't cost you anything except the domain registration & hosting fees. THAT's what you call smart, cost-effective marketing. Bob M - Larry Cahill would be proud! This is a nice idea but a horribly, HORRIBLY thought-out and far-too-late in the day effort to be taken seriously. At best, you'll reach the minimum and get a small ($25k) sticker on the car -- but with some actual forethought, actual MARKETING IDEAS, and actual PLANNING put into capitalizing on the exposure -- not to mention starting it off in the off-season instead of giving yourself a scant 40-day window -- you would not only be much closer to your $350,000 target but would & could have achieved far more in actually promoting Linux, which is after all the goal. |
| dinotrac Apr 15, 2007 3:30 AM EDT |
So, Top2, tell us all about the effective campaign YOU'VE got going. Names in front of cameras, mention in the press, etc -- they sure beat the heck out of "Lin-what?" |
| helios Apr 15, 2007 3:34 AM EDT |
dino..... Sound of abrupt and screeching brakes...how fitting, LOL |
| dinotrac Apr 15, 2007 3:55 AM EDT |
helios - I haven't put my piddly ten bucks in yet..but I will. The Paypal account is actually my wife's -- I don't even know the password. Vroom, vroom, man. Doing something isn't always better than doing nothing, but doing something is always better than never doing anything. |
| bundy Apr 15, 2007 4:06 AM EDT |
The word "Linux" appears in the Indy 500.com article 19 times (NINETEEN TIMES!), plus it explains that some Linux users are so passionate about it that they are willing to dedicate their own substantial time, money and effort effort to help spread the word. And TOP2 is still trying to convince us that the article is really not about Linux... |
| hkwint Apr 16, 2007 11:17 AM EDT |
Quoting:The Paypal account is actually my wife's -- I don't even know the password. PayPal is a problem for me too (at the moment, but that's because of my own lazyness after too much wrong password attempts, the thing is blocked at the moment). Isn't there a SWIFT bank account? Then I could donate this evening. |
| Sander_Marechal Apr 16, 2007 1:03 PM EDT |
Quoting:PayPal is a problem for me too Me three. I have some money for donating purposes stuffed away in a good friend's PayPal account but I use it so rarely I forgot the password. I've been nagging him for the details and donate as soon as I get it. |
| rynnz Apr 19, 2007 8:30 AM EDT |
Helios, I don't really watch the Indy500 myself, so I don't know much about the drivers other than Dale Earnhart Jr. What are Stephan's rankings? How many wins does he have? Are we likely to get a lot of screen time? |
| helios Apr 19, 2007 11:00 AM EDT |
What are Stephan's rankings? How many wins does he have? Are we likely to get a lot of screen time? That depends on three possible outcomes. If he wrecks if he wins if he wears a dress You don't know it yet, but YOUR press time comes Friday. It's been hard to keep my mouth shut. He has, in fact done at least one of those three. The fact that he straps himself into a car that he purposely aims down a track at 230 miles an hour gives me reason enough not to care. If he has the buntobees to drive a car at that speed with nothing between his head and a concrete surface bu a layer of fortified plastic, I don't care IF he wears a dress. I ain't screwin' with him. h |
| TOP2percent Apr 19, 2007 11:29 PM EDT |
> What are Stephan's rankings? How many wins does he have? Are we likely to get a lot of screen time? 1. He's not a current driver so he doesn't have any current 'ranking'. Stephan quit open-wheel racing after the 2001 Indy 500. Prior to Indy, he suffered a loss of confidence caused by a season-opening wreck. He found himself not comfortable with his cars and retired himself early from the following 2 races due to this - and was so nervous about the next race (the 2001 Indy 500), he told his team owner to find another driver. He switched teams hoping it would restore his confidence and entered the race, but after qualifying 29th of 33 and retiring early due to a mechanical issue, he suddenly quit the sport for good. ref: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/motorsports/2001/indy500/ne... Out of the blue, he returned last year for a one-off at the Indy 500 - qualifying 30th of 33 and as I'd previously stated - retired after completing 49 laps (of the scheduled 200), 18 laps down from the leader at the time - due to, once again - 'handling issues', which is racing speak for parking the car due to a persistent lack of speed due to (a probably justified) lack of confidence in the car. He was classified 29th of 33. This 2007 Indy 500 entry is also a one-off - he has not raced an IndyCar since the Indy 500 last year. 2. In 49 CART & IRL IndyCar race entries over 9 seasons, Stephan has never won a race. Of 9 Indy 500's entered over 9 seasons, his results include: - 2x DNQ ("Did Not Qualify"), - 1x DNS("Did Not Start" -- he was involved in a 3-car crash on the pace lap of the 1997 Indy 500), - 3x Retirement , - finishes of 19th(1993), 17th(1998), 8th(2000). Helios mentioned 3 things about Gregoire (in the context of the Indy 500) - and as he technically didn't even start the 1997 Indy 500 (his race was over before the green flag), it is accurate to say he has never wrecked out of an Indy 500 that he's started, and as he's never won one either - and Helios says he's done "at least one of the three", I suppose that indicates that Helios is trying to tell us that Stephan has worn a dress at an Indy-related event. ;) I'm not sure that that's something to get excited about, but hey - whatever floats your boat! 3. Pray for rain. |
| tracyanne Apr 20, 2007 4:08 AM EDT |
This just arrived in a linux-aus digest http://www.maidment.vu/ |
| helios Apr 20, 2007 5:02 AM EDT |
TA - I think I'm in Love... talk to me h |
| devnet Apr 20, 2007 5:23 AM EDT |
The idea for all of this is to have Linux on the track...getting exposure. It doesn't matter if the car crashes, it doesn't matter if the driver loses, it doesn't matter what the outcome as long as it is on the track being seen. If success is found in this project I'm more than positive that a story will be done about it and featured...perhaps even a TV spot about it. I mean, a community driven initiative that succeeds where others have failed? That's news. This would provide quite a bit exposure for Linux and the community...I think it's a great idea...I just hope others do as well and that others don't dismiss this as a wasted effort or scam. |
| bundy Apr 20, 2007 6:27 AM EDT |
TOP2 - Since you apparently have selective statistic syndrome, I guess I'll take a turn: At the 2001 Phoenix Indy Car race (3 races before the Indy race you cite), Gregoire qualified 4th in a field of 27 cars and led the race for 9 laps. Who were some of the other drivers that day? 2-time Indy 500 winner, Helio Castroneves 2-time Indy 500 winner and 2-time CART champion, Al Unser, Jr. Indy 500 winner and 2-time CART champion, Gil DeFerran Indy 500 winner and 3-time IRL champion, Sam Hornish, Jr. Indy 500 winner and IRL Champion,Buddy Lazier Indy 500 winner, Eddie Cheever IRL Champion and Indy 500 Pole winner, Greg Ray IRL Champion and Indy 500 Pole winner, Scott Sharp The reason Gregoire lost his confidence at Indy in 2001 is that he knew what a good car felt like and his was not it. If you push too hard in a bad car at Indy you can easily have a bad day. Stepping out of the car that he turned over to Roberto Guerrero, he jumped into Jeff Ward's backup car and within 6 laps was already 3-4 mph faster than he'd been all month and qualified the car solidly for the race. Oh yeah, the car he stepped out of was not fast enough to qualify and Guererro spun it on his qualifying run. The reason for Gregoire's retirement from full time Indy car racing had nothing to do with his experience at Indy in 2001. The Simon team's sponsorship evaporated after the race and having tasted what it was like to run at the front, he was unwilling to drive for underfunded programs anymore. Since then he ran the 12 Hours of Sebring in his first and only attempt in 2003 and finished 4th out of 25 cars in the GT class and he ran the 24 Hours of LeMans in his first and only attempt in 2003 and finished 7th overall out of 50 cars. I'd say he knows a thing of two about driving. |
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