Motorsport Marketing
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Navigate the ever-evolving landscape of Motorsport Marketing with professional guidance.

A new dawn of race-by-race motorsport partnership is evolving, challenging the traditional practice of season-long tie-ins.
While many globally established brands continue to opt for season-by-season or multi-season campaigns, this is not the only option for your brand. You might find yourself asking whether long-term motorsport partnership is right for your company.

Motorsport teams carefully consider the pros and cons of retaining current partnerrs versus finding new partners. Many factors influence these decisions, from their mission statement and image to the sector their prospective partners represent, as well as the practicality of the available advertising space on their car.

As a potential partner, how can you ensure that you get the maximum value from the funding you provide to your team?

An often overlooked aspect of effective motorsport marketing is establishing a clear direction for your brand and its associated sponsorship across all media. Making decisive and consistent decisions is crucial for effectively communicating your message to your audience.

What kind of response are you hoping to achieve from motorsport marketing?

Do you expect instant engagement, with a surge in purchases, orders, or reservations; or are you looking to carefully cultivate long-term benefits from a slow-burning campaign? The ideal approach hinges on the brand, product, or service being promoted.

An instant response may be necessary if your company is trying to meet a deadline or if the product or service is of an impulsive nature. On the other hand, if your product or service requires careful consideration and trust-building, your motorsport marketing needs to convey more thoughtful concepts.

Choosing the best team to partner is more nuanced than picking winners.

Motorsport is unpredictable, and a team that was previously at the back of the grid can quickly rise to success with the right developments. Additionally, not all teams offer the same level of benefits to their partners. Some teams provide extravagant experiences and networking events, while others may offer minimal exposure for sponsors.

When deciding on a team to support, it is important to consider the team’s awareness and commitment to delivering results.
Regardless of where they sit on the grid on Raceday, a team that shows high-level communication with its partners and can provide evidence of understanding and delivering results on target regarding significant metrics and levels of brand exposure is an attractive proposition to partners.

What benefits can a partner expect to achieve from their motorsport marketing budget?

One of the most obvious considerations is the placement and size of the sponsor’s logos on the car. It is also crucial to ensure that the partner’s brand fits the overall style and ethos of the team and does not conflict with other brands present on the car.
Additionally, partners need to consider how their branding will be perceived by the audience and whether any mild changes are needed for the design to be eye-catching.

When considering what a partner might physically receive, there are various options and benefits to delve into:

Car liveries:
The size and placement of the decals, as well as the competing spaces allocated to other brands and a car devoid of any conflicting brands, are important considerations. It’s also important to consider how your brand might be perceived by its audience, if it fits the ethos and the overall style of the car, and whether your logo and branding need any necessary changes for the design to be more eye-catching.

Helmet, Racing Overalls & Equipment:
The bonus of your logo appearing on the driver is that when they win, stand on the podium or whenever they are filmed out of their car, it provides a boost in exposure for your brand.

Equipment placement can also be an attractive addition, particularly if your product or service ties into the appliances being used to showcase your brand. Eg. An alloy wheel distribution company’s logo appearing on the wheel gun that removes the wheels of the car during pit stops. Innovative logo placement can create synergy between team and brand. This creates cohesion in the minds of audience members, which can equate to trust.
Dewalt’s partnership with the McLaren Formula 1 Team is a prime example of this. Particularly interesting is the use of DeWalt leaf blowers as cooling devices, used to blow cool air at over 100mph into the brake ducts and side pods, to cool the brakes and engine between qualifying sessions.

Event Activation:
This refers to the benefits the partner might leverage from the partnership beyond branding placement. This can include events such as staff driving experiences, factory visits, team building seminars, and demonstrating your product or service.

Motorsport Marketing activation is not limited to just the initial partnership launch; it extends beyond marketing to include additional benefits for the partner. This may include events such as providing driving experiences for your staff, organising factory visits to witness the development of cars, hosting team-building seminars focused on strategy, innovation, and teamwork, showcasing your product or service through the team’s channels, or any other action, product, or service aimed at strengthening the relationship between you and the team while enhancing your brand or company image.

For certain teams, motorsport marketing activation forms the essence of the partnership – these are the teams that deserve your attention. Other teams do not actively participate in these activities, so unless there is substantial value and clear benefits to be gained elsewhere, these teams should probably be lower on your list of prospects.

Corporate/VIP Experiences:
Team partner hospitality is considered to be one of the most exclusive and glamorous opportunities in all of sports. These experiences can range from high-end offerings such as private helicopters, luxurious suites, cocktail parties, and VIP circuit passes, to more business-focused events like sector-specific conferences and product launches. Pit lane access and prime race viewing seats are also often included.

These hospitality experiences offer teams a fantastic way to entertain clients. Teams often have established long-term relationships with circuit management, providing access to top-notch catering services and facilities.

These events are crucial for teams and their partners, as they serve as valuable opportunities to strengthen their relationship and express gratitude for the support received.

Principal Partnerships
Becoming an official principal partner involves more than just funding a team in exchange for brand placement.
Official team partners often play a significant role in enhancing the operations of the team they are supporting in various ways.

A clear example of this can be seen in tech companies in Formula 1, where the secure handling and storage of crucial data is paramount to a team’s success and privacy.
Other types of businesses that become official team partners may include companies that can supply products or services that teams would typically budget for. For instance, if your company produces equipment necessary for the team to race, your expertise in this area could greatly benefit the team in addition to providing high-quality equipment.
The earlier example of how Dewalt not only funds, but supplies vital performance-enhancing equipment to McLaren is another great example of savvy motorsport marketing.

These partnerships are highly valuable across the motorsport spectrum, and are the area where teams are most likely to engage immediately or urgently.

Online benefits:
Every team or organisation places varying levels of importance on their social media presence. This is especially important for your company if your brand heavily relies on social media outreach to attract new customers. Official Partners will usually have their logo featured on the team they support’s website, often accompanied by some information outlining the thought process behind the partnership and highlighting the benefits the partnership brings.
Additionally, you can negotiate regular social media posts featuring your products and services as part of any partnership deal.

Conclusion:
In 2024, motorsport marketing has become more dynamic than ever. Teams aiming to attract partners and command lucrative funding must do more than just deliver results. Being the best on track is no longer sufficient – potential partners are considering other factors. Long-term deals are less likely to happen early, so teams need to invest time and effort in clear communication. It is essential to understand their partner’s expectations and create a comprehensive plan of action that extends beyond mere checkbox ticking or meeting KPIs. Teams should also embrace the advantages of motorsport marketing activation and innovative event plans.
Overall, motorsport marketing partnerships now need to deliver more than ever before, benefiting both parties.