The Sports Business Journal is reporting – With an eye toward his future, Jeff Gordon is leaving IMG to chart a new course with Just Marketing International, a motorsports marketing agency in Indianapolis that has not been in the driver representation business before. Gordon had spent more than 10 years with IMG, and during most of that time he was the only NASCAR driver in the agency’s talent stable. But as Gordon, 38, approaches the twilight of his driving career, he’s looking for a deeper selection of business opportunities within motorsports that extend beyond endorsements. “I think Jeff is past the point of looking for the traditional deal that gets you a patch on his sleeve,” said John Bickford, Gordon’s stepfather, chief business adviser and general manager of Jeff Gordon Inc. “What we’re looking for is more integrated business opportunities that will position Jeff post-racing.” Those opportunities could involve race-track design, team ownership or other business ventures inside motorsports, Bickford said. Gordon is currently working with a developer in Canada to build a Gordon-signature track that he designed. “To think about going into a project with the marketing support of JMI behind you, it became crystal clear that this was the direction to go,” Bickford said. IMG loses Gordon after a year of growth in its motorsports division. It added a sales and marketing relationship with Joe Gibbs Racing and representation of Danica Patrick as she moved into NASCAR. IMG also has a sales and marketing deal with the NHRA and its top names, John and Ashley Force. Bickford said those deals, most of which IMG struck in the past year, did not influence Gordon’s decision to leave. JMI’s consulting clients include LG, Lenovo, UPS, Subway and Verizon, and it has struck several driver endorsement deals for its clients, including Subway’s relationship with Carl Edwards, but Gordon marks the first driver that Zak Brown’s agency has formally represented.(SceneDaily/SportsBusiness Journal) and more info at Just Marketing.(2-16-2010)
