Staff Writer
They are a small staff that works at maintaining a big presence.
A two-man marketing crew headed North in the emerging light of Thursday morning to help bring a brand based in Jacksonville to NASCAR fans.
Andy Stenson and Jamie Sakin make up the marketing department for Hickory Foods, which is the parent company of BUBBA Burger, and they loaded up the company’s Ford Flex for a trip to the Richmond International Raceway in Virginia for some NASCAR action.
“We usually get a good reception when we arrive in the BUBBA wagon,” said Stenson, who is vice president of business development for Hickory Foods.
The travels of the wagon are regularly updated on the company’s Facebook page so that people know where to find them. Friday’s entry extolled, “beautiful weather for racing.”
The company announced earlier this year the creation of the BUBBA 250 Nationwide race, which was held in April and also that BUBBA Burger would be the official burger of the Richmond International Raceway for the 2010 season.
The raceway hosts only four races a year where BUBBA Burger has a presence, but the company believes it receives quality exposure from the event beyond the nearly 98,000 seats at the raceway.
“We get more than just a weekend’s worth of exposure out of these trips,” said Stenson. “There are web mentions, national media coverage, a lot of ancillary exposure that is developed from these events. We get out here and reinforce the brand.
“We are an up-and-coming brand. We are national now, but we still try to keep it folksy, personal and fun when people have a BUBBA Burger experience,” he said.
This experience means getting out into the tailgates and campgrounds around the racetrack and making sure that if people are grilling, that they are grilling BUBBAs.
The experience also includes the company’s mascot, a walking jalapeno created to promote the company’s jalapeno burger. The identity of the mascot remains a mystery.
“That’s a close-kept company secret,” said Stenson.
The multiple media opportunities aren’t the only reasons the company pursues the sport for advertising opportunities. They believe they can offer a quality product to a loyal fan base.
“The sport has a loyal fan base, who follow their favorite drivers,” said William “Billy” Morris, president and CEO of BUBBA Burger, earlier this year. “We hope that translates into loyal customers.”
The BUBBA Burger 250 returns to Richmond in April 2011.
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