NASCAR announced today that Office Depot, Inc. (NYSE: ODP), a leading global provider of office supplies and services that helps customers save time, is the recipient of the 2011 NASCAR Driving Business Award, presented annually to the Official Partner that demonstrates extraordinary leadership and results through their participation in the NASCAR Fuel for Business (NFFB) Council.
The award was bestowed upon NASCAR’s Official Office Supply Partner at a ceremony in Las Vegas during the most recent NFFB Council Meeting. Office Depot is also the co-primary sponsor of reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series™ champion, Tony Stewart, and the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet.
The NFFB Council is a program that brings together an exclusive group of more than 50 Official NASCAR Partners to get more out of their sponsorship, specifically getting partners together four times a year to buy and sell products and services. This environment offers the unique opportunity for many Fortune 500 companies to bypass the time and layers of corporate coordination that may exist and construct customized deals to help address specific business needs.
Since the NFFB’s 2004 inception, the Council has facilitated hundreds of millions of dollars in annual revenue and savings to its participating members. For example, Ford, who was last year’s recipient of the Driving Business Award, has sold more than 20,000 vehicles through the Council over the years.
Office Depot captured the award in recognition of its successful performance on the NFFB Council in 2011, but the company has a long history of driving business through its NASCAR partnership. An official NASCAR partner since 2005, Office Depot has successfully leveraged its sponsorship to generate sales from its B2B contract customers and drive traffic to its retail stores nationwide.
Through the NFFB Council, Office Depot secured new business accounts with Chevrolet, Ford, the National Corn Growers Association, Getty Images, and NASCAR RV Resorts, to name a few, helping the company drive business year after year. During the past seven seasons, Office Depot also used its status as an Official NASCAR Partner to activate its highly acclaimed “Official Small Business of NASCAR, Courtesy of Office Depot” promotion. In 2010 and 2011, Office Depot teamed up with fellow NFFB Council member and business partner, 3M Corporation, on the promotion.
Additionally, Office Depot has built strong relationships with other NASCAR Official Partners – including Coca-Cola, Mars, and UPS – and leveraged these partnerships to implement a variety of co-marketing programs.
Office Depot has attended all NFFB Council events – nearly 30 of them – since becoming an Official NASCAR Partner. The company is adept at bringing key personnel from across the organization and matching them up with their counterparts at other NFFB companies during the Council’s signature Speed Meetings.
“Office Depot is honored to be this year’s recipient of NASCAR’s Driving Business Award,” said Kevin Peters, president of North America for Office Depot. “Our sponsorship in NASCAR and active involvement with the NFFB Council provides Office Depot with strong B2B opportunities because sponsors within the sport want to do business with each other. And we’ve also been able to deepen relationships with many of our customers by bringing them to NASCAR races. The sponsorship has proven to be a great business-building tool for Office Depot over the years.”
“Office Depot is a great example of how an official partner can get a return on their sponsorship investment in NASCAR,” said Norris Scott, NASCAR vice president of partnership marketing and business solutions. “As a committed partner to the NASCAR Fuel for Business Council and to the entire sport, their involvement in the NFFB Council and success over the years has been outstanding.”
NASCAR PR
