Get Amped: Music City Grand Prix Rebranding

The Big Machine Music City Grand Prix returned to the streets of Nashville in the only IndyCar race that roars over water and a bridge, while blending the biggest names in racing and music in a three-day festival-style event.

This year, ad agency partner Two by Four and strategic partner New Heartland Group, debuted a multi-channel creative campaign which brings the name of the event to life as music merges with racing. Highlights include a dramatic broadcast spot—shot in black and white—featuring the sounds of an IndyCar played on a guitar.

About the ‘Big Machine Music City Grand Prix 2023’ Creative Campaign:

Anyone who has every visited Nashville knows it has a unique vibe. The food is incredible, the people are warm and friendly, and of course, it is home to legends like Cash, Dolly, Hank, and Reba. Needless to say the music scene here is amazing. And now it features one of IndyCar’s premier races. All this makes for an incredible entertainment story that had to be told and told well.

Two by Four’s creative approach focused on the blending of great music and great racing.

Of course, the event offers an insane racing lineup—IndyCars, truck racing, night racing, GT racing, antique car racing—arguably the best lineup in the IndyCar series. But it also boasts more than 20+ artists from many different musical genres, on three stages, all weekend. It’s really a terrific event jam packed with way more to do than the three days allows for. Two by Four took an aggressive tone with the creative, emphasizing that this is an event that cannot be missed.

Starting with the brands identity, Two by Four redesigned the look, logo, and website to create a more energetic feel. Then they turned to the brand messaging. The brand broadcast spot accentuates the event name by blending music and racing as guitarists play the sound of an IndyCar shifting through gears, accompanied by a custom music track. With no spoken words, the concept is a perfect blend of both the car racing and music entertainment genres.

Finally, they produced aggressive traffic driving communications in outdoor, social media, radio, and print/posters. Each focused-on reminding consumers that this is not something they want to miss. (The radio was recently listed as a finalist in the Radio Mercury Awards.)