While Formula 1 has attracted loyal fans from all over the world for decades, it has more recently come to be a moment for the masses. From Miami to Montreal, this year alone has seen a new level of interest from celebrities and onlookers alike. Many will say there’s Netflix to thank for this, but marcomms pros know the industry’s role in creating and sustaining this buzz. In that vein, we spoke to Vedika Solecki, director and founder of The CP Group, and Kayla Grey, journalist and host of THE SHIFT, to get an inside look at the ways they have strategized to help bring F1 to the forefront of our social media feeds and beyond.
How have marketing and PR strategies helped level-set and position F1 as an exciting cultural moment everyone wants to be a part of right now?
KG: By now we have seen the ways a show like “Drive to Survive” has brought F1 to the doorstep of North American audiences – not only shifting and expanding a level of viewership but also reintroducing what an avid Formula 1 fan can look like. This new era puts the sport at an interesting crossroads: it has undeniable attention, but what strategy is in place to sustain and flip it into a “you just had to be there” experience that actually feels attainable? This is where storytelling and public relations can truly play a role.
VS: F1 is such a big part of history; a sporting event with over 70 years of history that has truly become a huge part of different countries, cities and family legacies now. Over time, as the sport has expanded and gained widespread media coverage – especially its presence on platforms like Netflix – it has garnered immense popularity and attracted the attention of people from all walks of life.
Here’s the thing: it turns out that people really like people, just like PR and storytelling really like people too. When you ask fans what it is about Formula 1 that has become so appealing in the last little while, it's that they finally get a glimpse of the human behind the helmet, which has sparked a level of buy-in to the team – something I don't think we’ve seen so easily achieved in any other sport.
Over the years, Formula 1 has undergone significant transformations now that we have “Drive to Survive” on Netflix, which has become a huge part of pop culture. This has not only expanded the fan base by attracting diverse backgrounds and demographics, but also humanized the athletes themselves. Being on a platform like Netflix is a huge touch on marketing as you could be anywhere in the world and have access to the series. For an event that almost seemed untouchable or unattainable, this level of accessibility to the athletes and the sport allows for a new breath of relatability. It opened a door to a new market of brands and companies that want to be associated with this world and this sport, leading to increased attendance and sponsorship opportunities.
KG: Coming from the NBA space, I can tell you that this level of access to athletes is something you truly can’t get anywhere else. Sure, this makes life as a member of the media a little easier, but if you are following along, not only does news always feel timely, but it lands with a level of authenticity – the one thing that everyone is hungry for in an industry where too much feels curated. This makes it an easy sell for an audience to follow along for an entire weekend in an age where attention spans are short.
Kayla Grey, Lewis Hamilton, Marc Lafleur, Demi Chalkias
VS: It's no doubt that F1 has become a major cultural event as well as being hosted in some of the world's most beautiful countries and cities. It has really helped the community be involved by injecting different initiatives and activations that make F1 a diverse experience. There is such a uniqueness at every different race, which is now being covered by media outlets all around the world.
As a female-owned agency and even just as a female in the media world, this has been very exciting, as it opened the doors for our brands and has also intrigued the female participation and doubled that side of viewership. Now we are seeing different influencers become involved in the races, beyond what is happening at the paddock, with the various events and initiatives.
Not only does that mean more eyes on the sport, but we know how multi-faceted and dimensional the modern woman is, which breaks open this window and opportunities to engage in ways that are intersectional and meaningful. Things like commentary, representation behind the scenes and highlighting collectives and initiatives which further break down walls for women to exist in this space matter to an audience. With that said, we are seeing so many different businesses such as fashion houses, liquor brands, hotels and more be a part of this experience.
What have you learned is the right approach for reaching new audiences for F1?
VS: What’s been really refreshing to see is that the teams have started creating relationships and partnerships with different agencies and PR firms to engage the right audience. This has helped with brand engagement as well. We are now seeing brands such as Tommy, IWC and more create influencer programs and activations which engage this New Gen to be a part of the race. While we see this new talent and different demographic there's a new joie de vivre at the track.
Beyond the Paddock, The CP Group
VS & KG: Whether intentional or not, F1 has always exuded this culture that felt elitist in tone, and we know that F1 has always been that “rich man’s sport.” Rich people like to go where they feel RICH, so we would argue that celebrities have always attended but have just blended in. What’s changed in the type of celebrity is what we are seeing now is different DJs, designers, models and artists such as Burna Boy and Megan Thee Stallion meeting in front of the Mercedes Garages in Austin, to Hailey Bieber and Odell Beckham Jr showing off their amazing fashions in Monaco. Some would say it's random, but in most cases, this generation of celebrity is also bringing millions in following, which probably wouldn’t have happened if this was not the case.
That’s another window of opportunity in storytelling and marketing: the paddock has become a runway. Whether you rock with it or not, what it has translated to is another set of vital eyes on Sunday dialed into coverage ahead of the main event. I can tell you this never happens. So if people have tuned in to see who's who and what is so and so wearing, you give them what they want. For example, you have brands such as Kilian Perfumes, Loro Piana and Louis Vuitton activating around the Cannes film festival, which takes place adjacent to the F1 Monaco race. Sending ambassadors and influencers decked out in the brand is a huge win, and brings a lot of awareness not only to the brand but to the race as well.
F1’s reach goes far beyond the city-by-city races; what do you have to keep in mind when working on a marcomms strategy to reach multiple markets around the world?
KG: Storytelling cannot be a one-size-fits-all type of deal when it comes to F1 of course, but what has been able to transcend markets is the inclusivity of more culture. The bottom line is folks want to feel seen, safe, celebrated and, most importantly, entertained – no matter the market. Keeping this as a compass when it comes to answering what truly matters to an audience has linked cities in unimaginable ways.
Because there are so many new ways to make a race week a 360-degree experience (where both city and F1 are satisfied), blueprints and how-to’s from other markets are becoming integral in future planning. “Drive to Survive” knocked storytelling out of the park on your screen; the challenge now lies in how we properly storytell in real life. This is where collaboration between media and public relations comes in.
Culture has truly become a big part of this event and rightfully so when the race is being hosted in some of the world’s most beautiful countries. With that said, as a PR firm, our team has always enriched the culture in some way in all of the activations and initiatives we produce during the race weekend. We believe in creating an experience and immersing yourself in the culture. This has also been a great way in involving the community. From the races in Abu Dhabi, where we created a full Emirati experience with the flavors of the Middle East, to creating a full cultural food experience in Mexico City, community is what truly keeps the excitement and diversity of the race in the different regions.
Please share examples of a successful brand partnership that brought a new audience to F1.
KG: I was recently invited to moderate a panel called “ Mavericks in Motorsport” in Montreal, where we held space for influential people within the industry who took the non-traditional path to get to where they are at. Lewis Hamilton, Demi Chalkais and Marc LaFleur were on the panel. With my opportunity, I wanted to collaborate with the Mercedes-Benz Canada team in finding and celebrating who I felt were “mavericks” within the Montreal community. Once identified, they were not only invited to attend the panel, but I passed up my mic near the end of the discussion, inviting four representatives to ask Lewis Hamilton. This to me is how you make moments throughout a weekend impactful. Not only were we able to diversify an audience that would’ve otherwise been mainly partners, dealership owners and media, but we also gave the organization visibility, an opportunity to leave with sound and tangible advice. This stuff matters when you want to be intentional about showing up within the communities a race brings you to. This is the legacy work.
Kayla Grey, Lewis Hamilton, Marc Lafleur
VS: This year in Miami we hosted our second annual Beyond the Paddock gifting suite with Nobu Hotel, where we invited brands to participate in a two-day weekend to promote and gift their product and get their brands in the right people’s hands. We created the BTP suite to give visibility to brands from the race community, media and influencers around the world, giving them an opportunity to get in front of the right people without worrying about the large sponsorship fees. That's really why the Beyond the Paddock platform was created.
Beyond the Paddock
We invite vetted guests and even some celebrities to come relax, unwind and get some amazing gifts when we know everyone is tired from being at the track. It gives brands a platform to have conversations with the guests, too. Since starting this gifting suite, we have worked with Glossier, Dr. Barbara Sturm and many others. When we hosted this suite in Abu Dhabi, we worked with local Emarati brands, giving them an opportunity to infuse and connect with the local community. We continue to grow the gifting suite, and this is just the beginning.
