2020 Silver Entertainment and Music

Agency: Ogilvy UK

Client: Formula 1

Campaign Name: Keeping F1 fans tuned in with no racing

Campaign Overview

Keeping F1 fans engaged in lockdown

During six months without races how could the sport’s voice be kept alive?

Strategy

Fans don't see themselves as customers so F1 treats them as a community rather than a target audience.

During lockdown fans needed to be engaged and primed to buy into the season and F1 TV when racing restarted.

Ogilvy UK turned conventional eCRM into a fast-paced entertainment channel, delivered by a hyper-responsive email programme.

During shutdown the agency had to dig deeper into F1 culture with a new series of direct digital experiences to keep the audience entertained.

Creativity

Insights into fan culture provided fuel: a new generation of drivers with e-sports rivalries but online friendships; intimate stories from F1 legends in podcasts and documentaries; and opening the vast F1 TV archive.

Innovative digital experiences were created to maintain engagement, from F1 driver cam Zoom backgrounds to virtual meet-and-greets with drivers.

For 2020, an editorial redesign showcased the curated storytelling. Improved data and personalisation delivered more relevant messages. Upgrades brought to life emails with embedded video, polls and downloads. Messages were echoed with customised overlays on F1.com, priming fans for the return of F1 TV.

Editorial-style emails went up a gear with the return of race weekends. Friday set up the story, Sunday reacted to qualifying. They were effectively mini-magazines. New design remixed trackside content with intense copy, bold typography and front-cover style imagery.

Each race was trailed as the next episode in an unmissable drama, with the drivers, managers and circuits as the characters. The copy brand style was short and staccato to add drama and reflect the speed.

Fans were guided into the F1 world and wider services. In lockdown sales were off, but on restart TV offers were wrapped in the drama of “a season like no other”, feeling like an essential part of the story.

Results

The investment in the direct relationship, the building of trust and insights from the strategy of previous seasons helped deliver new experiences fans wanted during lockdown and keep the door open for the return to racing.

Recasting conventional eCRM as a fast-paced entertainment channel allowed F1 to listen to its fans and see what content they click, share and read.

Average open rate was 29%, well above industry benchmarks. Quality traffic is provided to F1.com with a longest average dwell time of 3.59 minutes.

Fans downloaded F1 Zoom driver camera backgrounds, unfolding calendar updates and anniversary wallpapers.

The F1 TV sales target was exceeded by 238% with 3:1 ROI. Long-term branding building remains a stage for sales with 78% more value from the programme than the control.

The Team

Ogilvy - Jackson Russ, Business Director - George Stride, Account Director - Coby Walter, Programme Director - Harry Scott, Executive - Jemma Roback, Executive - Martin Delamere, Experience Planning and Deputy Content Director - Frank Duck, Data Strategy Director - Duncan Butt, Technology Consultant - Angus George, Group Creative Director - Johnny Watters, Group Creative Director - Will Whittington, Designer - Ben Evenett, Art Director - James Roberts, Copywriter - Chris Lawlor, Copywriter - Sam Hinckley, Art Director - Jack Grimmer, Technology Consultant