TSN is launching a multiplatform promotion effort to back the Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Contest, a massive retail marketing initiative designed to highlight NASCAR Canada’s licensed product deal with Zellers to about 5.8 million racing fans across Canada. As the 10-race championship NASCAR series plays out on TSN, the contest will get two 30-second commercial spots and two 10-second billboards during the race broadcasts, along with two two-minute interstitial features, featuring TSN’s Vic Rauter talking about the Zellers-NASCAR relationship. Banner ads will run across TSN.ca until the end of the NASCAR season. Customized radio spots will also play out on the Raceline Radio Network. The print campaign will see ads appearing in the Toronto Sun and Inside Track Magazine.

HBC senior VP marketing Debbie Edwards says the contest, which ends on Nov. 24, ‘is our way of introducing our customers to this amazing brand and new product assortment,’ which includes NASCAR branded men’s and children’s sportswear, sleepwear, house wares, bedding, toys, games, and holiday décor. The prizes are four trips for two to 2007 racing events and 20 prize packs of NASCAR merchandise. The contest will also be promoted at point-of-sale at all 284 Zellers stores in Canada, where customers can enter simply by swiping their HBC Rewards Card when purchasing any NASCAR team or driver merchandise.

NASCAR is the number one televised motor sport in Canada.

The 2006 Daytona 500 was the most-watched motor sport race in TSN history with a national average audience of 568,000 viewers (Nielsen Media Research: audience figures 2+ and exclude pre- and post-race). NASCAR has 5.8 million fans in Canada, representing one out of four Canadian adults, and the average Canadian NASCAR fan has been following the sport for approximately 10 years (Ipsos-Insight 2004 NASCAR Canada Brand Tracker Survey).