While there aren't many places untouched by one of the most transcendent personalities in auto racing ? Patrick has been featured through Super Bowl commercials, music videos and the covers of national magazines ? the endorsement deal with the Coke Zero brand will take her into an arena that has remained relatively untapped by the popular NASCAR driver.
Yet it isn't unfamiliar to a Roscoe, Ill., native who recalls a childhood of seeing life-size replicas of her beloved Chicago Bears in the soft-drink aisle.
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"It's going to be really cool to walk into a grocery store and see those very iconic cardboard stand-ups, and I'll be the one holding a Coke Zero," Patrick told USA TODAY Sports. "It's one of those childhood dreams that you grow up and see you're among those favorite athletes or celebrities on a stand-up."
In joining the Coca-Cola Racing Family (a circle of Sprint Cup drivers) in a multiyear deal, Patrick becomes the first driver affiliated with a sole brand in the program's 14-year history.
"She's an extremely appealing figure for Coke Zero because she basically represents everything the brand does," said Sharon Byers, Coca-Cola's senior vice president for sports and entertainment. "It's one of our biggest growing brands. Her appeal to young adult men is the exact consumer base that we want to connect.
"She's just a very interesting person. She's a fierce competitor. She's into pop culture. She loves the blend of sports and entertainment. All of that is very attractive to us when we look at personalities that will represent one of our brands."
The move aligns Patrick with a brand that easily becomes the most iconic and mainstream in her portfolio. Though sponsors such as GoDaddy.com, Nationwide Insurance and Peak Performance have featured Patrick heavily in national commercial campaigns, they don't have the retail reach of Coke.
Mark Dyer, one of Patrick's agents at IMG (a global sports, fashion and media business that represents several athletes), said demand for point-of-purchase promotional material with Patrick already has been strong from stores that stock Coke.
"It's the first time Danica will go to retail with a strong consumer product," Dyer said. "Our past partners haven't been typically the packaged-goods companies. They're not out there in the everyday world as much. There's a lot of pent-up demand because she hasn't been out there with the big companies in retail. It's terrific for her brand."
Dyer said Patrick had been targeting Coke since signing with Stewart-Haas Racing last August. A trip to Coke headquarters in Atlanta with team owner Tony Stewart helped cement the deal.
"Tony was heavily involved in the discussions," Dyer said.
While the move won't have a noticeable effect on the track ? she'll continue to be sponsored by Go Daddy in the Nationwide Series, where she has one top-10 finish in the first eight races of her first full-time NASCAR season ? she could be in line for an even bigger boost in name recognition, said David Carter, executive director of the University of Southern California's Sports Business Institute.
Patrick already ranks ahead of all drivers in the Q score ratings that measure the advertising clout of athletes and celebrities, but she has placed third behind Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the Davie-Brown Index (which rates a celebrity's ability to influence consumer behavior) because of a lagging awareness score among the public. The Coke affiliation could help shore that up for Patrick, who spent seven seasons in the less-popular Izod IndyCar Series.
"Any time a global brand like Coca-Cola sees value in aligning with an athlete brand like Patrick's, it's significant, especially given that while she has been competitive, she by no means has dominated the racing scene," Carter said. "Casual (racing) fans and women purchase a lot of Coke products.
"And with Patrick as a face of the company, the awareness should go a long way, particularly as they include her in marketing and promotional campaigns. Should she begin to win consistently, which will bring with it additional positive media coverage, the endorsement should literally and figuratively pay dividends for both."
The move could be viewed as a competitive marketing coup for Coke, too. It adds Patrick to a lineup that already included three-time champion Stewart. Rival PepsiCo has three of the other most high-profile drivers in NASCAR under its umbrella: Jimmie Johnson (through Gatorade), Gordon and Earnhardt (whose Nationwide team fields a Chevrolet for Patrick).
"We're very respectful of that relationship of Dale with Pepsi," Dyer said. "I think Coke has a good counter with Tony and the rest of the family and Danica. That's a strong answer, and it's great in NASCAR when competing companies take strong positions in the sport. It's good for all involved and lifts all boats."
Patrick's role as Coke spokeswoman begins in earnest with the Coca-Cola 600, which is slated May 27 as her third Cup start. She will do promotions with grand marshal Brooklyn Decker, an actress and model.
Though Patrick is not competing in the Coke Zero 400 July 7 at Daytona International Speedway, she will be a "special correspondent" on race day and interact with fans through social media.
Patrick said Coke was planning commercials with her creative input, and Coke also will donate to her charities every time she drinks their brand on TV.
"We did a branding meeting where they showed me all the stuff about their brand, and it's amazing how much my message aligned with it so well," she said. "I feel you really can have it all in life if you do it right and work hard enough.
"I'm not necessarily trying to get women into racing, which I get asked about a lot. If a woman wants to be a race car driver, fine, but if she wants to be an astronaut, then go do that, too. I push for people to be their best."
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