The other day I was tagged in a random social media post asking me to ditch my newspaper advertising to put a sticker on the back of a race car transporter.

It started me thinking; there are no silver bullets in motorsport sponsorship.

I love the business of motor racing. I’ve been fortunate at various stages of my life to have been on the race team side looking for sponsorship, worked somewhere in between race teams and sponsors, and have also worked on the side of sponsors spending in the sport.

From my observations over the years, the most successful methods for earning sponsorship are strong relationships, and finding people who are passionate about the sport.

Have a look around the paddock for genuine sponsors, and there is typically a combination of the above in play. Some people are born into the right situation, others have had to toil hard to make it happen.

There are of course exceptions to the norm, companies at the top end of town can legitimately make motorsport sponsorship work, and earn a tidy return on investment or meet other objectives, even if the company heads aren’t hardened motorsport junkies.

Firing into the Crowd

Countless hopefuls over the year have sprayed proposals madly into the corporate wilderness in the hope of landing ‘the one’. Persistence may sometimes pay off, but there should be a better way.

If you don’t have the existing relationships, or know if the recipient of your proposal is into motorsport, you are going to have your work cut out trying to convince outsiders of the value of our sport.

Who do you know, and who to you know knows? Have a scroll through your contacts – who in your network would be able to help or point you in the right direction?

If you do need fire props out of a scatter gun, there are ways of qualifying your leads. Social media, and often a Google search, can tell you a lot about the personal interests of your target. Think about using a combination of LinkedIn and Facebook to your advantage; do your research as this will save you time in the long run.

Chasing the Marketing Dollar

Competent companies should be qualifying their marketing spend, so that each dollar invested meets an objective.

The marketing mix of a company would typically involve a broad range of activities. Be it above the line marketing with a combination of television, radio, print ads or billboards, or below the line, direct methods like PR, social media, search engine marketing, or activations.

How does your proposal stack up against these marketing forms in terms of return of investment? How are you going to provide them value for money?

If I give you the money you are asking for, how will that sell more of my product that investing the same amount on Google ads, or buying a TV ad? This is typically a tough sell; a pure branding exercise through motorsport will only start to pay off when you reach the big leagues.

Fortunately, there are other ways for motorsport to provide value…

Stickers on Race Cars

In the modern age, sponsorship is much more than simply having a sticker on a race car in the hope that it’s seen on television or in the newspaper.

Outside of personal reasons and a love for the sport, there are various reasons why companies invest in the sport. Not only can motorsport be used as a branding exercise, but it is also an excellent hospitality tool, as it can give guests or staff incredible access.

While hospitality at a football game consists of drinking beer in a corporate box, motorsport can immerse guests in the action.

Access to the drivers, the pits, the grid before the race, team radio and live data feeds are incredibly inclusive.

Motor racing is thrilling, and for a corporate guest, it’s even better when they get to cheer on the driver that they just had a photograph with or shared a chat.

As a branding exercise, motorsport sponsorship has a leg up over a lot of sports. Football clubs won’t go changing their team colours to suit your logo, but race car liveries are all about your branding.

Another positive for motor racing, is that the participants tend to be far less inclined to do things that bring a sponsor’s name into disrepute. Is there a day that passes without a new footy scandal?

Ride days are important too. Guests will probably get a lot more exhilaration out of a hot lap than from a training run with a ball sport team.

Thinking about the above, what can you bring to the table that is outside of the box? What can you offer that is above and beyond?

Make it Worthwhile

A big consideration when piecing together a sponsorship program is how it is activated; you aren’t making the most of your branding if you are just waiting for it to appear on TV mid-race.

There is a whole lot to be gained by having a competent, well planned public relations program along multiple facets, which provides exposure through traditional media outlets, as well as new age social media platforms.

Ideally, the motorsport activity should be something worthwhile of being integrated into the day to day marketing and social media mix of the sponsor.

Both trackside and away from track activations should be taken into consideration, maximising the leverage of the sponsorship. Would a stand at the track, grid girls, displays or activities at your business, perhaps in a B2B sense meet an objective?

Don’t forget merchandise opportunities. Race fans love nothing more than wearing team kit – the sponsors branding – at most available opportunities.

There are multiple long term Supercars sponsors who have minimum on car signage, but are more involved in the sport for the corporate hospitality side, as well as the away from track activations and B2B opportunities.

Keep it in mind – the amount of cash you seek to make the wheels of your race car turn, can in fact be dwarfed when PR, hospitality and activations considerations are accounted for from the sponsor’s side. Also, don’t forget, the PR and activation carried out by one sponsor will typically be to the advantage of all the other sponsors on the car.

Final Thought

There is no substitute for hard work. The elite drivers in the sport who have the most personal sponsors, derive the most income from the sport, also put the most effort in with their sponsors.

Once you’ve landed a sponsor, any sponsor, don’t take them for granted. Work diligently so that they stay loyal for the long run.

This is by no ways an exhaust bible on sponsorship, merely a think piece to start the conversation, and perhaps change the perceptions of some people hunting the almighty motorsport dollar.

By the way, my marketing budget is currently accounted for, and I can’t afford to put a sticker on the tailgate of your truck. Sorry.

WORDS + IMAGE: Mark Walker