F1 has released details of the upcoming projects to come in 2020 after the success in 2019 in terms of digital transformation and social media.
Having posted their figures for viewership, social media following, and other elements of the sport’s reach in 2019, F1 media heads Ian Holmes and Frank Arthofer digested the information, explaining its relevance and what it means for the pinnacle of motorsport.
One main point of interest in the data released by F1 was the sport’s social-media-success, as they managed to grow by over 30 percent from 2018 to 2019, and this is something which Arthofer considers to carry serious weight.
“It’s been a terrific few years of social growth, and we’ve surprised ourselves that the rate of growth continues now into our fourth year of investment and focus in this area,” he said. “It starts with engaging stories and we have many of them heading into 2020 – a potential three team race for the constructors championship to the future of the driver line-ups at Mercedes and Ferrari.
“But clearly there is something unique about the content that is resonating with fans. We don’t believe that there’s a silver bullet – rather a collection of initiatives. One thing we like to say is that we take the sport seriously but not ourselves. Humor is the universal language and we know from the data that content like this is the most engaging stuff we produce.
“We also try to make it a two-way conversation with our fans – for example, we’re working more closely with some of them to co-produce content in 2020.” Looking at the future, Arthofer revealed that more is to come on these platforms and how F1 is continue engaging with them.
“We think there’s a huge amount still to do,” he stated. “We’ve got a couple of new podcast projects on the immediate horizon that we’ll be announcing soon. We’re also working with sponsors to expand our digital advertising and branded content offering – we think branded content is the future of the global advertising marketplace and we can be the leading sports league in the world in creating value for partners in this area.
“And, of course, we’re working on original video content – including a couple new features for F1.com and YouTube that will launch closer to the season.” Citing why such an influx in social media engagement occurred, the British marketer pointed the successful attempt of F1 at making a more seamless experience on their app and other platforms, before he delved into why this growth was so vital, particularly among the youth.
“We relaunched our product set, including F1.com, F1 app and F1 TV during 2018, with a few key principles,” he said. “Make the experience frictionless, deliver great quality video content, use data from the race to tell ‘unseen’ stories about the sport, and give fans inside access that they can’t get anywhere else.
“Save for the technical issues we had at the outset with F1 TV, we believe we’ve built good solid product experiences that let the great stories and content shine through. We’re just thankful that the investment we’re making in this area is having the impact that it is for fans, and we’re emboldened to continue to invest to improve our digital products.
“In many cases social media is the first place that fans interact with F1. Whether that’s watching a funny video about the Rookie of the Year or picking up a new t-shirt collection between F1 and Bape. The sport drips with cultural relevance and that is and always will be a key hook for a younger audience.
“We just need to hold the mirror up and let new fans experience it firsthand, on platforms and devices where they spend their time. Since 2017, 62% of our new fans have been under the age of 35. We believe it is a great thing for our partners – promoters, sponsors and broadcasters – all of whom have a mutual interest in widening the audience for F1. Really, across the board, we believe we’re still in the early innings of our maturation.”
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The story was edited by Darshan Chokhani