The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) — an owner of 16 major motorsports entertainment facilities in the US — has selected Qualtrics for experience management (XM) in a bid to develop more personalised fan experiences.
As a leader in the XM category, Qualtrics is well-positioned to help global businesses better understand customer and employee experiences. In April 2018, the Qualtrics XM Institute in collaboration with Temkin Group analysed professional sports viewership on television and in-person for NASCAR, Major League Baseball (MLB), Major League Soccer (MLS), National Basketball Association (NBA), National Football League (NFL), National Hockey League (NHL), Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA), US Tennis Association (USTA), and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA).
According to the insight report titled “Fan Experience Benchmark: US Professional Sports”, Purposeful Leadership, Employee Engagement, Compelling Brand Values, and Customer Connectedness are four customer experience (CX) competencies that organisations can focus on to achieve CX maturity and consequently, long-term success.
With the COVID-19 pandemic impacting in-person events, organisations like NASCAR were forced to adapt to the changing environment and innovate in order to build new digital experiences. The Florida-based group is doubling down on strategic investments and collaborations in the tech space to reinforce its commitment to “being the best racing organisation in the world.”
Recently, NASCAR partnered with Qualtrics to be able to respond to customers’ ever-evolving needs in a post-pandemic setting and help deliver more personalised experiences to fans. The spectator sports organisation — which sanctions over 1,200 races in more than 30 US states, as well as in Canada, Mexico, and Europe — now adds to the list of customers empowered by Qualtrics solutions.
In October last year, English Premier League football club Manchester City also selected the SAP-owned company as its XM software partner to enhance its matchday offering for fans, across its digital platforms and in-stadium.
Utilising Qualtrics for Experience Management Transformation
With the help of Qualtrics, NASCAR launched the Fan Council initiative, which brings together a group of dedicated NASCAR fans who provide valuable feedback on broadcasts, races, advertisements, and the overall fan experience. Scott Ahlstrom, Head of Sports Industry at Qualtrics, said in the statement released:
“NASCAR is one of the top spectator sports in the US and the organisation knows how to deliver an amazing fan experience — whether supporters are watching at the track, at home, or on the go.”
“With Qualtrics, NASCAR will be able to gain a deeper understanding of how its fans’ experiences are changing over time, what the organisation can do to personalise those experiences, and how it can act on feedback in real-time to create the fan experience of the future,” Ahlstrom explained.
Meanwhile, Brooks Deaton, Managing Director, Research and Insights at NASCAR, stated that listening to the fans is at the core of their efforts to increase engagement and further expand the sport. As part of the deal, Qualtrics’ capabilities will be used to give NASCAR the ability to act on feedback gathered from viewers in real-time.
Additionally, NASCAR will also leverage the XM Platform’s features to track how the fans’ experiences evolve over time, allowing them to interact and engage with them more personally. Utilising all the data on one platform, NASCAR can make strategic improvements and provide a customised fan experience for their diversified fan base.
“Our commitment to leveraging data and insights to enhance the NASCAR experience requires that we fully understand the needs of the most passionate fan base in sports, and Qualtrics is integral in driving that conversation,” Deaton emphasised.
