Marketing is on-going and never stops. A well thought-out marketing strategy is required in order to increase the popularity of the racing series with sponsors, partners and supporters and to make them aware of ADAC MX Masters meetings in the first place. Strenuous efforts are made to have talks with potential new sponsors even during the actual race season, and motorsport and extreme sports trade fairs such as the Essen Motor Show and Intermot are attended in order to attract more interested parties.

The next step concerns how best to present all the partners and sponsors via the various advertising media. To this end, every winter, the marketing team works with an advertising agency to produce new designs for the backdrops used at the start and for the podium ceremony, the programme booklet, flyers, posters, banners, special advertising formats and many other advertising materials such as merchandising for fans. There must be a continuous thread running through, enabling the whole series to be instantly recognisable. The same applies to the ADAC MX Masters’ own adverts. All year round, Marketing place snippets about the race series in print and on-line media.

Displaying sponsors’ ads at the various ADAC MX Masters meetings is another task that has to be accomplished. As far as planning goes, the scope of the partner’s advertising, what advertising he would like to have and how it should be placed at meetings, have to be determined in advance. In return, the client must provide sufficient advertising material, flags and banners, an advert and the company logo, so that it can be visually incorporated into the programme booklet. The serial partner’s brand name can be reproduced on flyers and posters if required. Main sponsors can also have their logos featured on the rear backdrops used for the autograph-signing hour, for the podium ceremony and for the start.

The ADAC’s approach is similar in the way it presents itself. Here, it is important that what is central to the series, the ADAC truck and the ADAC van, have the correct branding, that the ADAC name is optimally positioned at the circuit and on advertising media, and that logistics run smoothly.

Once all these preparatory measures have been completed, then the organising part of the race weekend can get under way at the circuit. In conjunction with the meeting organiser, the ADAC will first go over the track to determine how advertising spots are allocated to sponsors. Each series partner and all the organiser’s sponsors must get what they are entitled to. As a rule, half of the available advertising spots go to local partners and the other half to partners from outside the area. The teams from the ADAC and from the club, whose job it is to put the advertising media in place in time for the meeting, can then get to work. The ADAC is also responsible for the smooth running of the podium ceremony and for the special standings with their associated awards of non-cash prizes provided by various sponsors.

Good cooperation between marketing and press is equally important. The two departments reach unanimous agreement as to exactly what goes into the media guide and programme booklet, set up an agenda for the year and ensure that all sponsors have been included according to what is in their contract. There is in every programme booklet, for example, an exclusive about a partner or a competition with valuable prizes. In addition, the marketing and press team ensure that the autograph-signing hour, which is always held at the ADAC Truck on Sundays from 12.15 to 12.45 pm, is managed in a professional manner. The two departments also share responsibility for submitting the highlights from each ADAC MX Masters weekend to the various media in good time.

So you see, marketing plays a major role in ensuring that the race series can go on running and constantly develop its public image. Every sponsor is important and makes the ADAC MX Masters that bit better known. ADAC motocross racing has become much bigger over the past twelve years. The Masters is now the most popular MX racing series in the whole of Europe, which is partly due to running successful advertising campaigns.