How first-year title sponsor Genesys is making most of fan-less IndyCar race at TMS
Texas Motor Speedway’s date just happened to fall at a time when IndyCar felt it could start its 2020 season. And, with live sports being few and far between these days amid the coronavirus pandemic, NBC opted to carry it on prime-time TV Saturday night.
For TMS and the sporting world in general, the Genesys 300 has suddenly become one of the marquee events as the country slowly reopens from the pandemic.
That type of exposure is welcomed for a company such as Genesys, a global leader in customer service cloud software in its first year as the race’s title sponsor. However, there is still the disappointment of not being able to engage with fans and customers directly at the track.
“We’re definitely happy we’re the first race of the season. We’re super excited,” said Merijn te Booij, Genesys’ chief marketing officer. “It’s unfortunate that we can’t go there and can’t have our agents there, our customers, our partners. We were hoping for a big party.”
But Genesys is still making the best of the situation. The company is running a social media campaign with the hashtag #MomentsConnected where it’s asking drivers and fans to share moments that connect them to the sport.
Veteran driver Charlie Kimball mentioned his first race at the Grand Prix of Long Beach and meeting idols such as Jimmy Vasser and Alex Zanardi. Reigning champion Josef Newgarden discussed the importance of winning a race at Texas. James Hinchcliffe, who is driving a Genesys-sponsored car on Saturday night, talked about seeing the first Canadian, Jacques Villeneuve, win the Indianapolis 500 in 1995.
Fans weighed in with their own experiences as well, such as meeting drivers Tony Kanaan and Scott Dixon.
Genesys hopes that fans look back on this race in 10 years with similar memories, a time when the country started to return to normalcy after the pandemic.
“If you look back in 10 years and remember COVID-19 and the Genesys 300 as opening this beautiful second half of the year where everything became much more enjoyable and society started to return to normalcy, that’s what I hope fans will get out of it,” Booij said. “If they associate Genesys with that part of it, then I’ve got a half win already.
“That’s what we try to do with customer service. It can be a fantastic experience. It doesn’t have to be this boring environment. It can be fantastic. We try to make those moments fantastic and Genesys is fighting for customer service to be great and be remembered.”
For TMS president Eddie Gossage, it has been a nice partnership to date. He’s excited it’s a multi-year deal, too. The track wants its sponsors to be active and engage with fans and the community, rather than simply writing a check.
In 2021 when fans are allowed to attend, Genesys is expecting to roll out a fan activation plan where it will bring “technology and experience to the race track both in and outside the stands.”
“They wanted to sponsor an IndyCar event and, outside of Indy, the biggest one is Texas,” Gossage said. “We had a phone call and got a deal done in a matter of days. The #MomentsConnected dovetails right into what Genesys is all about and I expect they’ll double-down and make it even bigger next year. That’s what you want — an active sponsor.”
