As a part of Ally’s commitment to engage with existing and new NASCAR fans and promote diversity within Motorsports, Koker’s Garage was created as a digital activation to increase fandom and brand awareness in racing, positioning Ally Financial as a true “ally to the fans.” This program was created to present NASCAR fans with an opportunity to express themselves through a custom paint scheme design with a chance to be flown out to Homestead-Miami to see the car come to life on the racetrack if their design was chosen. We partnered with Miami artist, Alex Yanes and TV show personality, Danny Koker, to create unique artwork that fans could apply to the race car. This program ensured the ability to better reach out to fans regardless of on-track performance. Talent integration not only brought creative credibility to the campaign, but also allowed us to tap into new audiences outside of our typical racing fans.
Ally brought this idea to life through a few different elements: A 3D digital experience through a web and mobile microsite, talent amplification with Danny Koker and Alex Bowman, local artist integration with Alex Yanes, influencer amplification to get in front of new and existing fans, content creation across Ally Racing and NASCAR social handles and hospitality including hosting the sweepstakes winner at Homestead-Miami. While we faced a few challenges with specific mobile devices, we were able to help fans successfully navigate the site and create an experience (3D mobile car technology) that only a few brands have been able to implement.
This year’s Koker’s Garage program showcased that when a brand builds a sponsorship activation around demonstrated interests of fans, the results will follow. We know that new and unique paint schemes in motorsports are one of the most engaging stories and promotional opportunities for sponsors with the sport. We made a content series and interactive experience out of that insight. With an updated 3D interactive website, we were able to engage with new and existing NASCAR fans. In fact, we had a 633.5% increase in engagements and were able to interact with 259% more designers (fans) than in 2022. On top of engaging with more designers, we were able to share Ally’s DEI efforts within the NASCAR community during Hispanic Heritage Month.
