For Young Drivers or For the Team: Motorsports Development Team Instagram Accounts

 

Betsy Emmons

University of Nebraska–Lincoln

 

 

Abstract

Motorsports development teams work with young pre-teen and teen drivers to help them improve their skills as they move toward professional racing careers. Given the proliferation of Instagram as a promotional tool for young athletes, this research turned to motorsports development team accounts to discern how teams were navigating branding their drivers and themselves as organizations. A content analysis demonstrated a strong preference for development teams to use their accounts to share information about themselves first, then support their individual drivers. Teams overwhelmingly avoided personalizing drivers beyond their roles as drivers or offering insights into coaching or driver development. Results suggested that teams wanted to be seen as all-business and attractive options for new signees, but less as avenues for assisting with sponsorships.

 

Keywords

Social media, Instagram, development teams, youth branding

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