F1 - the marketing and advertising of

[Cam]

Here's an interesting thought - would you buy Pirelli tyres for your personal car or race car?

Bridgestone's primary reason for its F1 entry was to enhance its brand awareness, and for this to be effective, Bridgestone's Formula 1 tyres had to demonstrate strong performance........."We concentrated on our quality control to ensure that the tyres supplied to all teams were the same, allowing these close championship battles, which provided a fantastic spectacle for Formula 1 fans around the world." (http://www.bridgestone.com.au/media/art ... st_f1.aspx)

Bridgestone supplied a tyre that ran all day long. There was no mystery. As a consumer I was so impressed by that, the decision to put them on my car is a no brainer. Get performance, get miles, I don't have to 'nurse' them.

I seriously will never put Pirelli tyres on my personal car - let alone a race car. They may be the best in the world but it doesn't come across like that and it's divided people like never before. Bridgestone never had to worry about brand damage.

[bhall]

You can't really blame Pirelli for simply doing what they've been asked to do. F1 asked for stupid tires, and stupid tires are what Pirelli supplies.

(The P-Zero consumer tires are really quite special.)

That said, if I ran Pirelli, I would have declined such a request, even if it meant being forced out of the sport. Regardless of the reasons why, I don't think it's ever a good thing to associate one's brand with rapid degradation.

[raymondu999]

I personally have several Pirelli sets in my garage. To just look at the Pirelli F1 tyres and say "ZOMG MY TYRES WILL NOT LAST" is somewhat idiotic to be honest. The Bridgestone Potenza and Pirelli Pzero F1 tyres bear just about no relations to their roadcar distant cousins of the same name. No disrespect intended.

[Red Schneider]

I can just see you putting on the Pirellis, driving to the grocery store sweating bullets thinking, "OH MY GOD THE GRAINING!!!! I'll never make it home!!"

As for Pirelli's reputation, if we assume that the vast majority of F1 viewers are laymen (i.e. no real idea what's going on), it is possible to me that Pirelli will hold evoke positive connotations in their minds because of the exciting races. I don't have any evidence but the thought process would be like this: Pirelli is supplying F1 --> F1 is great these days --> everyone is talking about Pirelli --> ergo... maybe put some Pirellis on my car?

When Bridgestone was making 'great' tires people pointed the finger at them for boring races. I can tell you I'd rather my business be blamed for wildly exciting races (Pirelli) than blamed for bad ones (Bridgestone).

[Cam]

Market research is science, which is why major brands do it. It's also why McDonalds do not have obese people eating their products in commercials. Perception and fact are two very different things when it come to branding and marketing. I can be evil, but if I portray good - everyone 'thinks' I'm good. If I bought a set of Pirellis for my everyday ride, would they act like the F1 tyres - I don't know. There's been no other marketing or messages come across to tell me anything different. I've seen no TV commercials, no Top Gear tests, no Mythbuster comparisons, no billboards, or full page adverts - only what I see when I read forums, online racing sites and watching the F1 races. As a 'layman' the message I'm getting about Pirelli is not positive.

[raymondu999]

Pirellis generally tend to not go for mass-market - they tend to look for an upmarket niche with supercars and sportscars, hence why they supply quite a few motorsport categories - and to be frank I think there's a lot more influence from seeing what everybody else has, and what the manufacturer recommends. Honest talk - I have never - and I mean never - asked for a particular brand of tyres when buying a road car. I buy the car, I get it home, I drive. When my tyres are wearing out I check the brand. "Oh it's XYZ. I'll see if I can get that brand again." If I don't, I move to whatever tyre garage is closest to my house - as long as it's still a well-known brand, I'm good.

[Red Schneider]

I think your analogy is off but I can't completely put my finger on it.

Consumers have a better sense of burgers than tires. I think they are more 'hands on' in the decision-making process for selecting the former - i.e. meeting personal requirements for taste, calories, macronutrient composition, price, etc. What do people know about tires? They know whatever the salesman tells them, and then the price. If Pirelli can put it in their heads that Pirelli rubber = crazy exciting F1 races, then that is something positive.

Compare to the same layman's decison-making process circa 2010. In this case do you think he's saying to himself, "Gee, the races suck and people are saying the tires are to blame, but I sure like the way they last so I think I'll go with Bridgestone"? Huh? That doesn't make sense to me. As I said, better to be responsible for exciting races than boring ones.

All I'm saying is that IMO for the layman there is at least a fair chance of Pirelli acquiring a positive brand association from this.

[raymondu999]

If Pirelli can put it in their heads that Pirelli rubber = crazy exciting F1 races, then that is something positive.

What Cam is saying (I'm not agreeing with it, for the record) though, is that Pirelli is putting in the consumer mind - Pirelli:100km life.

[Red Schneider]

That's true. It could go either way. Guess this one can't be settled, not without some in-depth market research anyway.

[Cam]

Whether it's true or not, I have no idea. Will they sell more tyres or not, I have no idea. I do though, think it's a risky strategy though when in a climate where reducing risk is king. Deliberately creating a product that doesn't last or is very hard to use and understand - in a market where people want things to last and to be simple, is strange.

[raymondu999]

Personally - I don't for a second believe that people will take that into consideration when buying road tyres. By the simple fact that they have to realize, surely, that the tyres were specifically engineered for Formula One - they're not off-the-shelf based on the road tyres.

[Cam]

Personally - I don't for a second believe that people will take that into consideration when buying road tyres. By the simple fact that they have to realize, surely, that the tyres were specifically engineered for Formula One - they're not off-the-shelf based on the road tyres.

Why do people get into F1 in the first place? To showcase their wares to a huge audience. This entire package is 100% about advertising. TV rights, sponsors, copyright. F1 is a platform to SELL.

They all want the majority of people who watch F1 to wear TAG watches, use Shell fuel, buy Mercedes cars, holiday in Dubai and get Pirelli tyres. This is not a mistake. It's deliberate. It's also deliberate they know people aspire. They see Beckham wearing jeans and the masses want those jeans. No, people will think F1 tyres are the same as my car - that's the point of it. People don't think that TAG watch Hamilton wears is only for F1. As a business, you want as many consumers as possible paying as much as possible. As soon as you put doubt in someones mind, it's very hard to convince them otherwise.

[raymondu999]

Why do people get into F1 in the first place? To showcase their wares to a huge audience. This entire package is 100% about advertising. TV rights, sponsors, copyright. F1 is a platform to SELL.

A lot of advertising and marketing isn't about showcasing your wares - it's also about brand exposure and recognition. Showcasing wares is a very small part of marketing.

No, people will think F1 tyres are the same as my car

I doubt it.

[Cam]

A lot of advertising and marketing isn't about showcasing your wares - it's also about brand exposure and recognition. Showcasing wares is a very small part of marketing.

I certainly don't intend to lecture you. You have experience in this area, you state, that's great and I enjoy discussing the topic with you, however you may not be right all the time Ray.

Many brands don't really do branding. That's a truth. Some are purely retail pushing wares. They don't advertise the 'trust' behind the brand primarily. In fact, many cross the boundary and tick off both. Yes, some do branding - because they want to sell something, whether a good or service, there's an agenda behind it. They want an audience to trust the brand and deal with them, so your statement doesn't cover this aspect.

I doubt it.

Go look in your fridge, pantry and your laundry cupboard. How many brands are there that you (or your partner) bought simply because you saw it advertised against something you related too. You may be the sole person not affected by advertising, but the rest of the world is not immune.

Pirelli are only in F1 to promote themselves and sell tyres. They know this. People see the 2012 F1 tyres and relate that to their situation - to which they make a decision - sometimes that decision is helped along with certain 'methods' that if you have an advertising/marketing background, you would know what they are. It's okay to admit you may have forgotten a few things or are you simply refuting every point win an argument? You're better than that Ray.

[xpensive]

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Pirelli are only in F1 to promote themselves and sell tyres.
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Don't forget the hospitality suites, celebrities, half-naked girls and all other razmatazz for the Pirelli xectutives?