Haas F1 Team appoints marketing chief
Haas F1 Team has named Adam Jacobs chief marketing officer. Jacobs will lead brand strategy and partnership development for Haas F1 Team, which will make its debut in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship in 2016, becoming the first American-led Formula One team in 30 years.
Jacobs previously worked for Anheuser-Busch where he was the sports marketing manager for the company’s Budweiser brand in NASCAR and the Bud Light brand in the NFL and college sports. In that role, Jacobs oversaw sponsorship programs collectively valued in the billions, which included Budweiser’s sponsorship of Kevin Harvick in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the Bud Light Hotel during Super Bowl XLVIII in New York City.
“Adam came highly recommended to Haas F1 Team and he brings a wealth of sports marketing experience to our organization,” said Joe Custer, chief operating officer, Haas F1 Team. “The projects Adam has overseen are global in scope, involving numerous partners and constituencies. He’s built great relationships during his career and we’re proud to have him at Haas F1 Team.”
Prior to his role at Anheuser-Busch, Jacobs joined the NFL’s St. Louis Rams in 2006 as director of marketing before becoming the team’s vice president in 2009. He has also held positions at the Indy Racing League, General Motors R*Works, Washington Mutual Bank and the Miami Fusion of Major League Soccer. Jacobs has been a member of the Sports Business Advisory Board at Saint Louis University since 2008 and has been an adjunct professor of sports business at the school since 2010.
“It’s a great opportunity to develop and launch a global brand in an organization led by someone as driven and accomplished as Gene Haas,” Adam Jacobs said. “With strong support and leadership already in place, Haas F1 Team is clearly positioned for success. I look forward to helping shape the ways we achieve that success on and off the racetrack.”
Jacobs graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1998 and is a member of the university’s Hall of Fame, one of the most prestigious honors awarded to students by the Division of Student Affairs.
Haas F1 Team is currently preparing for its on-track debut in 2016. Haas Automation, Inc., the CNC machine tool builder Haas F1 Team chairman Gene Haas founded in 1983, will serve as the team’s primary sponsor. However, Jacobs is positioning the team to partner with other high-profile brands that desire to reach a global audience.
“One of our key objectives as the only American F1 team is to help grow the sport domestically,” Jacobs said. “With the massive global reach of Formula One, Haas F1 Team is also uniquely positioned to provide a platform for brands seeking to grow their businesses in key markets abroad.”
Meanwhile, Haas motorsports holdings is nearing completion on an 11.600 square-meter (125,000 square-foot) facility adjacent to Haas’ NASCAR team in Kannapolis, North Carolina, that will house the Haas F1 Team. Construction is scheduled to be completed in late November.
In addition to Haas F1 Team, Haas’ motorsports holdings include Stewart-Haas Racing and Windshear.
