2023 Gold Sports

Agency: Ogilvy UK

Client: Formula 1

Entry Title: F1 Unlocked: Bringing fans inside

Executive Summary

Formula 1 has seen a meteoric ascent to reach more than 700 million fans globally in the past four years, growing the size of its database by 833% in the process. With fan data increasingly valuable to F1 the challenge was to accelerate sign-ups and opt-ins even further.

Strategy

The allure of F1 as a status symbol unites fans of all stripes. To persuade fans to share their email and see value in a fan membership programme, the agency wanted to tap into this status motivator and create exclusivity that unlocked a deeper level of access and insight into the sport.

Extensive research revealed fans want to be treated like VIPs. Ogilvy UK recognised the need for a balanced approach, catering to varying motivations with extrinsic rewards to draw fans in, and more intrinsic rewards—like deep content—to keep them engaged for the long term. It designed a proposition framework around three categories:

• Brilliant Basics: what fans would expect, executed well.
• Magic Moments: special moments that delight fans and build emotional engagement.
• Rule Busters: big, iconic, transformational experiences.

Creativity

The initiative needed a name that represented ‘getting more’ as well as exclusivity; that membership is key to unlocking a deeper, closer angle of the sport. Ogilvy UK therefore leaned into ‘Unlocked’ as a naming convention, to unlock the inside world of F1 with exclusive content; every detail with data; and epic rewards via digital downloads.

The programme design identity was created to echo the master F1 brand but to go deeper, invoking a multi-dimensional world with a grid system that used 2D, 3D and 4D to visually represent different levels of content. Like a magic box that transports the fan inside the F1 world, it called on a bold and simple colour palette of black, red, and white, with subtle red gradients to exaggerate the sense of depth, light and form.

A distinct photography capturing immersive, candid and authentic moments exaggerated the idea of being inside the ‘F1 Unlocked’ identity with a unique sense of perspective and depth.

Results

Creating exclusivity: direct-to-database sign-ups reached 700k by May 2023, 9% above target.

Deepening fandom: return users on F1.com surged from 42% to 78%.

Race experience: 2% to 5% conversion rate is considered best-practice, but competition pages boast conversion rates of 10%.

Casual to avid fans: average satisfaction with ‘F1 Unlocked’ is 8/10, rising to 8.3/10 among those with a ‘basic’’ interest and those with a ‘huge' interest’.