• Des Moines Register, Tuesday, March 27, 2007 11 AM

Ethanol producers are tying their product to auto racing in a new ad campaign, one of many marketing tactics the industry will use in it attempt to tout ethanol directly to consumers.

The new Ethanol Promotion and Information Council recently rolled out its first TV ads, two 30-second spots that aired on ESPN2 during the 2007 IndyCar Series season preview. All cars in that series, which includes the Indianapolis 500, have switched over to 100% fuel-grade ethanol this year. "It puts us in the national spotlight," says Reece Nanfito, EPIC senior director of marketing. For the half of the nation that can buy gasoline with 10% ethanol, "it indicates it's available, it's a choice you can make, and there are compelling reasons why you should use ethanol at the pump."

Ads push performance, noting that if ethanol can push those cars around the track at 200 mph, it ought to work in regular vehicles, too. They also cite ethanol's role in reducing emissions and dependence on foreign oil under the tagline, "America's high performance renewable fuel."

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