In June The Country Music Association and Martin & Company Automotive Marketing Solutions will host the NEW Power Zone in the 2011 line-up of free zone areas open during CMA Music Festival. The 2011 CMA Music Festival will take place Thursday through Sunday, June 9-12, in downtown Nashville, Tennessee. The event, which celebrates its 40th birthday since beginning as Fan Fair® in 1972, will once again be filmed for an ABC television special to air in late summer. The CMA Music Festival celebrates the unique relationship between country music artists and their fans in the heart of Music City, USA. The event draws 250,000+ fans from all 50 states and 29 countries around the world.
The new Power Zone is an opportunity for many of the automotive aftermarket’s top brands to expand their reach to potential new customers. Many automotive parts manufactures have done a great job advertising within the endemic automotive press, but have had limited cost effective opportunities to reach a mainstream audience. A zone dedicated to automotive parts and accessories at the world’s biggest country music event is a natural fit and fulfills this need in the marketing mix. By combining efforts, the manufacturers have a greater presence in speaking to the country lifestyle. The country music fan and the automotive enthusiast customer profiles are very similar. According to Spring 2010 MRI data, 47% of country music fans serviced their own vehicle in the past 12 months. The majority of country music listeners are also fans of NASCAR and other automotive sports. The country music lifestyle tends to attract brand-loyal consumers. For these reasons there has been a big response industry-wide and willingness of the automotive partner companies to support the new endeavor.
Just some of the brands who will be in attendance include: A.R.E, manufactures of fiberglass truck cap and tonneau covers will have their recently unveiled Pro Football Hall of Fame truck for fans to see. The world-famous BigFoot and Firestone Tires will have their unique Chevy-body BigFoot truck on display. E3 Spark Plugs will be offering fans the chance to win a ride in BigFoot and a trip to the 2011 Indy Jamboree in September. Edge Products & Superchips will be demonstrating their all-new line up of performance tuners for cars, trucks and motorcycles. The K&N Air Filters booth will host Dan Fletcher’s NHRA World Championship SS Camaro and a drag racing practice tree with prizes for perfect reaction times. The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) will have their SEMA Action Network (SAN) on hand to inform attendees about how they can help to protect their passion for the automobile hobby. Martin & Co will display their own 1957 Chevy Wagon, dubbed the “Zandy.” Skyjacker Suspensions will round out the exhibitors list with two of their custom lifted trucks on display. The new area will also feature the world-famous Budweiser Clydesdales and the Ultimate Air Dogs, who will bring their high-flying feats and awe-inspiring splashdowns to the Power Zone.
Martin & Company was formed in 1993 and specializes solely on accounts in the automotive aftermarket. As the market has changed and technology evolved M&C has changed with it always staying on the cutting edge. In January 2011 M&C launched a new division who’s mission is dedicated to assisting aftermarket manufacturers expand their brands to new markets through its events and strategic partnership opportunities.
For up-to-the-minute information about tickets, travel information, schedules, artist appearances and more, visit CMAfest.com, the official Internet home of the CMA Music Festival. On CMAfest.com fans can buy four-day tickets (which includes all four night concerts at LP Field and the Fan Fair® Exhibit Hall) or single night tickets to the night concerts at LP Field, sign up for the CMA Exclusive e-newsletter, watch helpful videos to make their CMA Music Festival experience better than ever, follow the CMA Facebook and Twitter feeds for more insider info and, of course, see the entire lineup of country music’s biggest stars as they are announced for the event.