American comment

See my agent” is fast becoming the catchphrase in the motoring world as driver after driver is taking a long, hard look at exploiting his goods and services in the best Madison Avenue tradition. And one of the companies that is taking advantage of the increasingly great marketing potential surrounding today’s racing drivers is the Mark McCormack group of corporations in general and its affiliate, Motor Marketing International, in particular. H Kent ‘Bud’ Stanner is one of McCormack’s chief executives, and he has become a familiar figure on the circuits of North America with regular bi-weekly appearances in the wake of World Champion Jackie Stewart.

There are many who either fail to appreciate or entirely denigrate the cunrnt trend toward personal exploitation, but what they fail to (or won’t) understand is that the career of this generation’s front-line driven is precarious indeed. And few have either the know-how or the inclination to promote themselves into a solid retirement situation when their competitive days are over. Under the McCormack scheme of things, a total management package is offered the individual, including financial planning, merchandising, licensing, marketing, publicity, and overall career planning. In our discussions with Stanner, the direct fee issue was side-stepped, but it evidently connected with and related to a person’s performance tied in to a forceful promotion programme aimed at putting the man’s identity before the public where it will do the most good, while, at the same time, naturally, increasing the take of McCormack’s varied enterprises.

Among the drivers who have signed on with the worldwide organisation, of which Stanner is a Vice President, are Stewart, Mark Donohue, Graham Hill, Jo Siffert and, more recently, Peter Revson. MMI is also involved with the United States Auto Club in radio and TV promotion along with some areas of merchandising. Personalities in other sporting areas who have tied themselves into the far-flung McCormack empire are the skiierjean-Claude Killy, and the Australian tennis ace, Rod Laver. And a concerted effort is currently being made to put some added international prestige into the Grand Prix of Monaco. What that will entail heaven only knows! Though there are many former driving stars who are reasonably content with their present lot, much more could have been done had their activities been properly and professionally directed when their star was at its zenith. One of the still active competitors who could have done with such a promotional arrangement is the 1968 Indianapolis 500 winner, Bobby Unser. Probably no one in the 50-year history of the fabled Brickyard has made less out of his 500-mile win, and one only has to recall how the pride of Pike’s Peak seemed to fade into oblivion almost immediately to appreciate what might have been.

It is an easy matter today for people to get their backs up when the ‘hard-sell’ approach is used no matter in what area. But we tend to forget that our day-to-day businessman is forever involved in self promotion. It therefore seems unfair to put down a race driver for wanting to advance himself through the only means he has available his present and highly transitory success.

Almost as soon as it began, the highly-touted programme of televising the remaining Can-Am races has collapsed. The elimination of the biweekly telecasts can be directly attributed to the withdrawal of several class A sponsors arid, though no one has named names, it is understood that Datsun wasn’t too enamoured of the project after viewing the first offerings.

The reaction of the public to the Watkins Glen and Mid-Ohio races can best be described as mixed, though we did get an opportunity to view the latter and were not overly impressed. Part of our adverse reaction can, of course, be laid down to intimate involvement with the sport somewhat like the case of a professional stage manager viewing a secondary school production of Hamlet But no one could miss certain obvious deficiencies. Much better liaison should have been created between the various commentators all of whom should have been professionals. After reading the early season manifesto of Arutunoff Enterprises, the prime contractor for the enormous undertaking, it came as somewhat of a shock to see announcers cutting each other off, overlapping commentaries and, worse still contrary to what had been promised the constant sight of Revson and the works McLaren lap after lap at Mid-Ohio.

We have always felt that the secret of a successful mad-racing telecast was a knowledgeable producer one who could select the various monitors with precision to give the viewers back home a complete picture of the goingson. Admittedly, two events may not offer sufficient opportunity to pass a full and final judgement, but no one could avoid the feeling that more than one member of the production had not done his homework. If the Sports Car Club of America, in contracting with the Arutunoff group, were only concerned with bargain basement rates than they got what they paid for. So much needs to be done to get the Can-Am message across a 3000 mile-wide continent. We know that the deal was completed with a minimum of delay, but it should have been masterminded by professionals.