Mission Winnow out of F1, but Philip Morris has a new plan with Ferrari

Ferrari and Philip Morris, two distinct entities that continue to be connected. When we see a car from Maranello on TV or on social media, the possibility of it being linked to the old Marlboro images of the past exists. We’re talking about something that is hardly noticeable in other sports: the ability to immediately associate a team with a tobacco giant. PM has managed to infiltrate this post-ban reality again. It did so by taking different paths through a high-level marketing strategy that can only be compared to that of equally important brands like Coca-Cola or Nike.

It’s a 50-year campaign that has effectively challenged regulatory authorities not only in advertising but also in health. To get to this point, Philip Morris fought hard in F1 until it managed to tie its brand to the historic Ferrari team. Marlboro was already a fixture on Italian cars.

Since the days of Niki Lauda, a small sticker could be appreciated not only on the car’s monocoque but also on the drivers’ suits and helmets. But in 1997, things changed when PM became the “title sponsor” of the Prancing Horse. A truly important collaboration because Ferrari’s image would now fall under PM’s control.

In the late ’90s, the environment was very difficult for tobacco giants as regulators increased pressure to ban advertising, succeeding in all other sports, TV, and newspapers. However, as the 1999 ban approached, PM had a network of important companies by its side to exert pressure against these new European regulations: the FIAT Group, Ferrari, F1, and the FIA. Everything went according to plan, and the ban was postponed until 2006.

Right after the start of the partnership between Philip Morris and Ferrari, a marketing manager began his career at the tobacco giant, a certain Maurizio Arrivabene. And, a few years later, in 2002, his future boss Louis Camilleri also joined him. The stars had aligned for the future of the Italian brand, even though the effectiveness of this cooperation had yet to bear fruit.

Ferrari and Philip Morris, the change in strategy amid new tobacco regulations

As expected from the new regulations, Marlboro could no longer be advertised in F1. This, even though it had just signed a renewal with the Maranello team until 2011. The team’s name still contained the word Marlboro, even though it was nowhere to be seen in the garage. In 2007, Arrivabene rediscovered the role of Global Communication & Promotions Manager at Philip Morris. His plan aimed to find as many gray areas as possible to continue the “profitable business” between employer and client.

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The development of a “subliminal” brand and the exploration of alternative digital platforms were crucial for this purpose. Marlboro was forced to change its strategy from a direct form of communication with consumers using logos on Ferrari’s livery to something more akin to B2B marketing, targeting businessmen in the field of motor racing.

The “subliminal” brand was only a visual representation of the partnership, while their main interest had shifted inside the paddock. Premium ticket holders, VIPs, and visitors were the target. At every event in the top category of motorsport, a PM mobile home was present inside the track or nearby.

EU regulatory authorities were dissatisfied with the visual solution Philip Morris had found for Marlboro’s presence in F1, and since 2010, they required the American company to remove the infamous “bar code” graphics from the Italian cars. Nevertheless, the partnership continued, through the creation of a new logo that showed similarities to the Marlboro logo. Further evidence that the “top-of-mind” marketing plan was working perfectly, even without the need to mention the brand’s name.

Ferrari/Philip Morris: The IQOS – Mission Winnow era

At that historic moment, Ferrari began a competitive crisis, reaching its lowest point in 2014, one of the lowest points for the team. For this reason, Sergio Marchionne, the CEO, decided to reshuffle the leadership. After the departure of Luca di Montezemolo, Stefano Domenicali, and the Marco Mattiacci parenthesis, Maurizio Arrivabene, then Vice President of Marketing at Philip Morris, was appointed as the new team manager of the Maranello team. In other words, one of the key figures in involving the American sponsor in the team had now become its top manager.

Maurizio Arrivabene’s arrival at Ferrari marked the beginning of a new era for PM in Formula 1. A new contract between the parties was to begin in 2018 thanks to the planning of a particular marketing strategy with Louis Camilleri. However, after the EU rejected the promotion of the first “smoke-free” product, IQOS, a “Shell” brand was developed, proud to promote a message to show that Philip Morris focused only on science and technology.

But in reality, the goal was quite different, trying to create interest in the company’s new initiatives, especially for the IQOS product. The idea was to start promoting it at the beginning of 2018 with the return of “Wrooom,” an event organized by PM and its clients, Ferrari and Ducati, to kick off their respective seasons. For various reasons, the idea was shelved, and the aforementioned project was launched in October during the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka.

It’s a well-known place for being very relaxed about tobacco advertising rules. Heads turned, eyes widened: the name Mission Winnow had finally been revealed. Critics immediately pointed out the curious combination of colors and shapes used for the brand. Despite the clear message, skepticism continued to surround the logo, a prominent figure in the final stages of the 2018 season, a key figure in Kimi Raikkonen’s victory in the United States (Austin).

Ferrari-Philip Morris: The end of an era

But sports-wise, things didn’t go as planned. After Sergio Marchionne’s premature death, Maurizio Arrivabene was ousted and replaced by former technical chief Mattia Binotto, while Louis Camilleri became the CEO of Ferrari, continuing to serve as PMI’s president.

In addition, protesters and regulators began asking questions and demanding immediate answers that were not satisfying at all. Consequently, at the beginning of the 2019 season, Mission Winnow disappeared. Following an investigation by Australian health authorities, Ferrari and PM had to present a Plan B: a special livery to celebrate the brand’s 90th anniversary. This was how, for the first two years of Mission Winnow, the brand was almost always censored in European races, especially in 2020, hit by the global pandemic. However, few know that Mission Winnow was always present in the paddock.

During the 2019 season, Mission Winnow was always present through a dedicated motorhome next to Ferrari’s, hosting various events for VIPs and guests. A continuation of the Marlboro plan, now focused on the “smoke-free” future. However, even though the project was carried out with much hope, trying to show the world the genuineness of the message, it was too late.

2021 was the last year of the contract between Philip Morris and Ferrari, where the color green was chosen for the logo, confusing everyone. Subsequently, the Mission Winnow brand definitively disappeared from the paddock in the second half of the championship. It was a shock when it was confirmed in January that the 25-year partnership with the Prancing Horse had come to an end. Many attributed the causes to Maurizio Arrivabene’s dismissal and Marchionne’s disappearance.

Ferrari/Philip Morris: A new future together

But shortly thereafter, Mattia Binotto rushed to rectify, claiming that Philip Morris was again negotiating for a contract, although the economic efforts would be decidedly more contained. The new agreement was signed just before last summer. Mission Winnow became a digital figure. And despite the disinterest of online users inside and outside the motorsport bubble, behind the scenes, it continued to host events in Maranello.

However, a few months ago, the collaboration took a strange turn when the Mission Winnow logo was removed from the Scuderia’s website, replaced by the logo of the parent company, Philip Morris International. The description changed to emphasize the recent acquisition by the tobacco-producing company Swedish Match, a brand of nicotine pouches. This acquisition didn’t come out of nowhere.

British American Tobacco, one of Philip Morris International’s strongest competitors in the market, is one of the main sponsors of McLaren, which, since 2019, has been able to promote its VELO brand related to nicotine pouches. McLaren and BAT have been advertising without problems for about four years, while PMI has encountered numerous obstacles.

BAT has essentially mastered the modern aspect of sports marketing, and for this reason, PMI is adjusting its strategy to meet this benchmark. It is no coincidence that at this moment, Philip Morris International is proud of its “smoke-free” products, representing 35% of the total net revenues for the second quarter of 2023 on the Ferrari page.

This is just a taste of what will happen next year. In the meantime, Mission Winnow has deleted all previous content from its social platforms, leaving only trailers for the future short films produced by Philip Morris, a new path for the American tobacco brand, where Ferrari, in the meantime, will always be associated with Marlboro.”

F1: Mission Winnow name returns to Ferrari | RaceFans