Formula 1 makes agency hires to aid global brand campaign

The Formula One motor-racing championship has engaged media agencies Wavemaker and Brainlabs in order to enhance its brand on a global level. Formula One said the partnerships, the first of their kind for the sport, will support the championship’s commitment to grow its fan base and increase engagement among key audiences. Wavemaker will provide lead support on Formula One’s global brand campaign, working to further reengage its current fan base as well as connect the brand to a new, younger target audience across 90 international markets.

Brainlabs will work alongside Wavemaker on F1’s performance marketing, in a joint effort to build on the momentum behind its paid strategy across digital channels around the world. Throughout 2017, the new Formula One management team under the ownership of Liberty Media has focused its efforts on strengthening the sport’s commercial arm as it aims to broaden its appeal to new and more digitally engaged audiences. In November, the series unveiled a new logo, the first step of a complete brand redesign. The new logo was unveiled during the podium ceremony of the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. It replaced a widely-recognised logo that had been in place for three decades, with the complete brand redesign the series’ first for 23 years.

The new appointments represent the latest step in this expansion plan, as Wavemaker and Brainlabs join communications agency, Edelman and creative outfit, Wieden+Kennedy in order to support F1. The pitch process and appointments were handled by management consultancy Oystercatchers.

Ellie Norman, director of marketing at the championship, explained: “These new partnerships with Wavemaker and Brainlabs will support our strategy of making Formula One a truly global media and entertainment brand with the soul of a race car driver, as we continue to position the sport as being ever more fan-centric.”

“Both Wavemaker and Brainlabs are standout agencies in their respective fields as curators of engaging content that resonates with its target audiences. Selected for their flexibility and versatility, passion for the Formula 1 brand and bespoke approaches, these agencies will be valuable strategic partners as we look towards the 2018 season and our continued ambition to be more mobile and digital led.”

Daniel Gilbert, Brainlabs chief executive, added: “We are going to supercharge Formula One’s performance marketing worldwide across paid digital channels. Our industry leading in-house tech and team of software developers will certainly be aiming to get Formula One into pole position in their mission to become digital leaders in the modern world of global sport.” – Daniel Gilbert concluded.