Toni Breidinger Partners with Triller: Sponsorship in Motorsport
Toni Breidinger is the first Arab American female driver in NASCAR history. She competes part-time for Venturini Motorsports in both the ARCA Menards Series and the ARCA Menards Series West. She has one of the largest social media followings for any driver in a NASCAR-sanctioned series, with just under 200,000 followers on Instagram at only 22 years old.
Breidinger should see that number increase after she announced a partnership with the social media company Triller. This partnership marks Triller’s first move into motorsport. The deal will have Breidinger document her racing career on the app and the company’s branding on her number 25 Toyota Camry. This deal will continue for the five remaining ARCA Menards Series races in the 2021 season.
At Sports Innovation Lab we often talk about “industry disruptors” and Breidinger is a great example of how social media can impact sports sponsorships, specifically women’s sports. She now has a platform to further her brand and reach a unique audience. An Arab American woman is not the stereotypical NASCAR driver or fan, but now Breidinger can get to people that wouldn’t normally watch NASCAR and give fans a new voice. This can also make the NASCAR fanbase more diverse in terms of age, race, and gender as her audience is mainly in the younger generations. Breidinger has various interests and says she wants to connect with “engaged socially conscious young people from around the world” and experience new events with them.
Breidinger’s number 25 car
There is a growing trend with social media companies’ involvement in women’s sports, with deals such as Facebook and Twitter with the WNBA. Social media can play a big role in marketing and advertising for athletes and their sponsors. Motorsports is an industry that is fueled by sponsorship money and with nonendemic sponsors getting involved in the market we could see a significant amount of money going into racing from social media giants.
Toni Breidinger’s deal with Triller is a big win for women in motorsport. She is one of only a few professional female stock car racers and is continuing to move the sport in a positive direction. Breidinger finished in ninth place in her first race with the Triller sponsorship, she continues her racing career while attempting to reach new audiences around the world.