Vodafone, Red Bull, Santander Are Brands Driving Motorsports Forward

Vodafone, Red Bull and Santander "are among the non-automotive brands seeing the advantage of reaching a young male-dominated and highly engaged audience at racing tracks across the world," according to Joel Fothergill of BRAND REPUBLIC. Red Bull "has targeted this audience and successfully aligned itself with sporting heroes." Brands such as BlackBerry, Vodafone and Santander "are now heavyweights on the racetrack alongside brands more traditionally associated with cars and auto sports" such as Mercedes, Ferrari and Pirelli. The "benefits to the sport are clear; with huge upfront costs meaning sponsorship is often the only way for teams to make it to competing level." Caterham F1 Team Communications Head Tom Webb said, "Without sponsorship, as F1 has had for something like 50 years, the sport probably wouldn't exist" (BRAND REPUBLIC, 7/23).