Dive Brief:
- American Pharoah, the first Triple Crown winning racehorse since 1978, has won more than the three races -- it has also scored a bevy of sponsorship deals.
- Prior to even securing the crown, American Pharoah's team had inked deals with private jet brand Wheels Up and Monster Energy drink.
- Numbers weren't revealed for the deals, but the Monster Energy deal was reported to be the largest endorsement contract for any horse in history.
Dive Insight:
Save the yearly buzz surrounding the Kentucky Derby, horse racing isn't a big industry for endorsements, but American Pharoah could break the mold. Wheels Up and Monster Energy had signed deals with the horse racing team before they had secured the Triple Crown, so there's a good chance more endorsement and ad deals will be coming down the pipe.
Since the last Triple Crown win in the late '70s, the ad and sponsorship landscape has changed tremendously, with omnichannel ad placement, logo and product placement, and social media mentions.
There is no precedent for race horsing deals of this caliber in the age of the Internet. Ben Sturner, president of Leverage Agency, the sports marketing company that handled these deals, told Adweek, "We're taking advertising to a different level. Being part of history is something money cannot buy."
