We sponsored a race car, and proved why startups should still invest in brand
Up until the Melbourne Grand Prix, the majority of Carbar’s marketing had been online. CEO and co-founder Des Hang explains why going outdoors was one of the best branding decisions the start-up has made.
Each year, the Melbourne Grand Prix pulls in millions in advertising from brands around the country. These are usually household names. But this year, we decided to buck the trend.
We threw out the startup marketing rulebook, and invested in the sponsorship of Cooper Murray’s car in the Porsche Carrera cup.
Why is this unusual?
Having been brought up on motor sport and its marketing / sponsorship etc and as a motor sport journo in the past, it would be salient to know what your sponsorship package in this case cost? Did you get more than signage? Is it only for this one weekend?
Carrera Cup / Porsche racing is not in the league of the V8 Supercars where deals are done in the millions, as that is what they cost to run, so I am guessing yours was in the tens of thousands?
I ask not to probe your financials, but to balance just what sort of sponsorship you get for your dollar. It is VERY hard to sell motor sport sponsorships, but conversely, throwing money into it a la Ferrari, Mercedes (or Red Bull and Shell), can yield enormous results as we all know. But those as disproportional amounts against what most can do.
I remember many years ago at Bathurst when as major oil company (at the time) pulled their sponsorship off a top 5 driver in the ATCC (forerunner to V8s) because in the previous year it had “not sold them any more petrol”. Which is of course the wrong way to assess results.
Great case study. I hope you find the way to build on this.
This is what we do – take brands into sport (mainly motorsport) in a cost effective and sustainable way. Whether its F1, V8s, BTCC, sportscars or other platforms; it is essentially about value, not cost.
Building and delivering value comes from understanding both what the brand is looking for (including timing and relevance to other channels) and what the platform can (or should) deliver.