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GENE SIMMONS & INDY From: Indiana Business Journal On the heels of a week when IRL officials hired famed rock 'n' roller GENE SIMMONS to help sharpen the series' public image and announced retired NASCAR star Rusty Wallace will be the lead announcer on its national TV broadcasts, series honchos were still pondering why car count is declining, teams are folding, and sponsors are abandoning the open-wheel circuit. With the hiring of Simmons and partner Richard Abramson, IRL officials hope to kick-start the series' popularity, especially with younger fans. Simmons seems like an odd choice, but Brown thinks he could be a strong addition. "I've met GENE SIMMONS on several occasions and he's a fantastic businessman," Brown said. "If people can get beyond his image as a guy with his face painted, sticking out his tongue on stage, I think you'll see he's a very good and innovative marketer." Simmons, 56, is credited with turning KISS into a $1 billion licensing enterprise, putting the band's name on everything from credit cards to Kiss-opoly board games. Simmons' partner has an equally unique background. Abramson is most famous for managing Pee-Wee Herman's career. Simmons is pulling no punches. During his first meeting with IRL officials, he told them their "logo sucked." "I didn't know what it was, and it just didn't connect with me," he told Forbes magazine. "And they were all over the place. You have to simplify the message. You go to Burger King and you know you can have it your way. That's all you need to know." Simmons will also work on driver marketing, a major thrust the past two years for the IRL. Simmons, sports marketers said, has his work cut out for him. "I know a former IRL champion from a few years ago that doesn't have a PR person," Poole said. "How can that happen? It's ridiculous." Former NASCAR champion Wallace, who retired from racing in 2005, could be a bridge to a new audience for the IRL. Wallace will be the lead announcer for ABC/ESPN, covering the 2006 IRL season. "We think Rusty Wallace is going to be the John Madden of motorsports," IRL's Griffin said. Wallace's exposure to the IRL has been limited, industry experts said, and winning him over could be a big coup for the series. "Rusty Wallace is an American racing icon who gets an awful lot of exposure from the mass media," Brown said. "If Rusty shows a strong interest in Indy car racing, he could be a very powerful ambassador for the sport." |
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