Smirnoff explains to us the strategy of its presence with Sahara Force India

The famous vodka brand Smirnoff is part of the Diageo group, which acquired the majority shares of Vijay Mallya’s spirits company, the owner of the Silverstone team. This group is not a stranger in F1 as it also owns Johnnie Walker, one of the historical sponsors of McLaren.

However, the two brands did not consult with each other since the decision was made internally at Smirnoff: « Associating with Sahara Force India, which shares many values with our brand, was a decision made by the global team responsible for the Smirnoff brand. »

A quick decision

In Barcelona, the brand arrived with a prime location as it occupied all the radiators of the single-seaters of Sergio Perez and Nico Hülkenberg. In the very next race in Monaco, the team updated the design of their suits to give the brand a central spot, indicating that the decision for the partnership was made quickly.

It is nonetheless rare for such a placement to be negotiated when the season has already started. Matt Bruhn commented on the process: “We had just launched our new global positioning in the United States and found this opportunity to increase brand awareness globally through our partnership with Sahara Force India. We knew the season had already started, but the timing still worked for us.”

The opportunity may also have been favored by the legal troubles of Subrata Roy, the co-owner of the team, who was imprisoned in India at the end of February following a dispute with the financial markets regulator. Nevertheless, after Monaco, it can be seen that Sahara has regained its place on the sides of the cars, while Smirnoff now occupies the central part of the rear wing.

Increase global brand awareness

But the benefits sought by the brand remain the same as those of other companies investing in F1: reaching a large global audience.

F1 fits even more into Smirnoff’s strategy as the F1 calendar exactly aligns with the brand’s commercial aspirations, being present in its biggest markets (United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and Australia) and in countries where it seeks to gain market share, particularly in Asia: « It’s a combination of both. For us, it is important to remain relevant in markets where we sell most of our volumes while our partnership with Sahara Force India also helps us build our global image in emerging markets, where we compete with local brands. »

One of the important messages from the company is also a message against excessive alcohol consumption. For its manager, it’s not about saying not to drink alcohol but to consume it reasonably: « For us, F1 is a great platform to reach millions of consumers with our message for responsible consumption. »

An original mode of communication

If the brand’s objectives are therefore classic, the brand has decided to introduce an original mode of communication since it wants to be the opposite of the elitism that has made F1 successful over the past decades: « Exclusivity is never fun. It’s better when everyone is on the dance floor doing our best chicken dance. We exclude no one, we invite everyone because the more, the merrier. »

To illustrate its message, Smirnoff launched a program titled *Beyond The Grid* from Silverstone, aimed at providing a behind-the-scenes look at Formula 1. To achieve this, they partnered with British actress and singer Thaila Zucchi and American comedian Brad Wollack to create humorous videos with fans attending the Grand Prix. The objective was to bring in individuals completely outside of F1 to offer a different perspective on the sport and its participants: « We believe it is refreshing to bring in people from outside the sport who aren’t afraid to ask surprising questions. We want to engage both regular fans and those not familiar with the sport who just want to have a good time. »

It is planned to produce different episodes throughout the season: « We will select certain races where we can celebrate with everyone who is a fan of the sport. »

The brand has not forgotten that F1 is loved for its drivers. Likewise, it decided to place them in a position that is far from what they are used to, as shown by the challenge faced by Nico Hülkenberg:

But the drivers are not the only ones the brand wants to highlight because F1 is above all a team sport: « The drivers will be at the heart of our series of episodes but we want to involve everyone in the team, from the mechanics to the engineers, even including Vijay. »

The presence of Smirnoff in F1 is therefore exactly in line with its new slogan, “Exclusivity for everyone,” as Matt Bruhn summarizes: « We mean that we are made for F1 drivers, designated drivers, and Sunday drivers. »

With the participation of www.Racingbusiness.fr