Target wins again, but who saw it?

Brand Target scored a victory this weekend at the Indianapolis 500, when Dario Franchitti took the checkered flag for Target Chip Ganassi Racing. Franchitti led 155 of the race’s 200 laps to claim his second Indianapolis 500 victory. Not only did the Target sponsored car win the race, but the other car Target sponsors, driven by Scott Dixon, finished in fifth place. That’s great news from a competition standpoint, but unfortunately from a marketing standpoint the Indianapolis 500 is not platform for marketing communications it once was. Interest in the event continues to wane as numerous empty seats were visible in the stands throughout the race. And from the standpoint of television viewers, there is nothing worse or more boring that when a driver leads from wire to wire as was practically the case with Franchitti’s dominant showing.