MIKE ARNING is the founder and SVP of True Speed Communication, a full-service public relations and marketing agency specializing in motorsports. Arning founded the agency in '03 and has worn many different hats over the past 13 years. He is currently the chief communications officer for the Haas F1 Team and NASCAR's Stewart-Haas Racing. His relationship with GENE HAAS, who is the owner of Haas F1 and co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing, has enabled him to experience the motorsports scene outside of North America. The Haas F1 Team joined the glamor and glitz that is F1 this season. Arning talked to SBD Global about industry changes and differences between int'l and U.S. racing series, as well as the impact of social media.
On industry changes ...
Mike Arning: It has always been a detail-oriented business, but now even more so. Every word, whether it’s spoken or written, is scrutinized, as well as the overall tone. This is due in large part to social media, and it’s made traditional media augment its regular coverage with much more editorial coverage. And from a marketing standpoint, there’s been an evolution from simply earning exposure for a brand to highlighting specific initiatives that either drive sales or drive a call-to-action on behalf of a brand’s philanthropic endeavors. Simultaneously, the consolidation of the media industry has made conveying a message that much harder. It used to be that every major market would have one, even two, motorsports beat writers for their papers. Nowadays, it’s rare to find a dedicated motorsports writer, and most major markets now only have one paper. This is true with local TV affiliates too. There used to be the bandwidth that each local TV station could send a crew to the race, not just on Sunday, but from the moment cars hit the track on Friday. This is fewer and farther between now, as some TV affiliates use a pool videographer and they share the content. All of this has made earned media incredibly well earned. This brave new world has also forced teams to position themselves as their own media companies. They have to tell their own stories and the stories of the brands they represent via their digital platforms. They have to do it with good content that includes sharp writing, arresting imagery and interesting video, all while keeping up fan engagement. Teams in all sports are doing this, but for race teams, it’s much, much harder to make that kind of investment. A Facebook video doesn’t make their race cars go any faster, at least not immediately. But a team that is well positioned digitally can offer more for its partners, creating value that extends beyond the racetrack and, ultimately, stronger revenue that can be funneled back into the race team for the kind of research and development that actually can make their race cars faster.
 |
On the difference between F1 and U.S. racing series ...
Arning: I still consider myself relatively new to international motorsports, as this is Haas F1 Team’s debut season. But what’s most striking is the level of preparation I’ve seen from journalists in the Formula One paddock. They’re always working ahead, and this is mainly because they have to. Because Formula One is a globe-trotting sport with teams and drivers scattered around the world, there isn’t an opportunity to go to a race shop on a Tuesday and grab a quick interview with the driver or team personnel. Everyone is seemingly always on the go. That Thursday-Sunday time in the paddock, you have to make the most of it -- not just for that race weekend, but to get the information you need to tide you over until the next race weekend, which might be in two weeks’ time. Formula One is also much more regimented. In the States, the schedule for each race weekend is different. In Formula One, it’s very similar, whether you’re at Silverstone or Singapore. And the regiment is known and accepted. For instance, after qualifying and after the race, whether the driver wins or finishes last, he goes to the TV bullpen and speaks to the media gathered. If a driver is unhappy because of his qualifying performance or race finish, tough, he’s still talking with the media. Now, he gets the time to cool down for 10-15 minutes and can go to the bullpen on his own time. There isn’t any media waiting for him at the car the moment he climbs out like there is in NASCAR and many other series. But, he’s still doing media. The other difference is that in the States we’ll typically have one broadcast partner. In the NHRA, it’s FOX. In NASCAR, it’s FOX for the first half of the season and NBC for the second half. In Formula One, there is a broadcast partner for seemingly every country, sometimes multiple broadcast partners for a country. So, you’re not managing the needs and expectations of one or two broadcasters. You’re managing the needs of upward of 40 broadcast partners.
On what int'l and American media outlets expect ...
Arning: In this sense they are about the same. They chronicle a team’s and driver’s performances. They report on contract situations, be it with drivers and their team or teams and their sponsors. They speculate on what might happen at upcoming races and what might happen in the governance of the sport. The area where U.S.-based outlets and international media outlets differ is in how they cover motorsports technology. International media is very interested in the technology of the cars and how that technology evolves over the course of a season. If a car has some new brake ducts or a seemingly small update to the appendages on the front wing, it is a story. The how and why the update was made, if the update performed to the team’s expectations, and what the team is doing next to keep its cars at the cutting edge is a storyline that is followed throughout a race weekend.
On changes and opportunities ...
Arning: The biggest opportunity for motorsports is the fact that it’s so different from all other sports. Right away, that sets it apart and cuts through clutter. And the value brands get with motorsports is deep. It’s yearlong, not just a season. You get personalities -- from drivers to crew chiefs to crew members -- who can authentically promote your brand and engage with your customers. You get edge-of-your-seat action. You can align with cutting-edge technology. But most importantly, you get a team you can call your own. You can’t rebrand the New England Patriots or the New York Yankees with your logo, but you can with a race team. There are two big challenges facing motorsports. The first is the same challenge that faces all sports, but probably affects motorsports the most because of the length of its events, and that’s getting fans to tune in to broadcasts and attend races in person. I feel like motorsports gets unnecessarily dinged for empty seats when I tune into baseball and basketball games and see empty seats in arenas. That’s not a challenge facing motorsports. That’s a challenge facing sports. And with so many viewing options and different ways to view sports aside from sitting in front of your TV, ascertaining how people consume the product and then placing a metric on that consumption is paramount. The other challenge or unknown facing motorsports is the evolution of the car. Autonomous cars are interesting, but if more and more people don’t find the actual driving of their cars interesting or appealing, what impact does that have on motorsports, where the drivers are the stars?
On the impact of social media ...
Arning: It’s massively important. With the consolidation of the media industry, brands, teams, drivers, tracks have to view themselves as their own media company. They can speak directly to their fans and customers with the message they want delivered. And if you’re in a position where traditional media isn’t covering you, you have to leverage your digital platforms to tell the stories that will ultimately cultivate interest from traditional media. Traditional media may be smaller, but it’s not going away. You need to use social media to better position yourself with traditional media.
On F1's potential in the U.S.
Arning: There needs to be a level of openness on par with what fans in the U.S. are already accustomed to. It doesn’t matter if a fan is at a NASCAR race, a drag race, a sports car race, an IndyCar race or really any kind of race, they can walk up to where the cars are being prepared and just take it all in. They can see mechanics working on the cars and drivers talking with their crew chiefs. They can compare one team’s garage setup with another’s. They can look at the cars and check out the shapes and try to understand what teams are doing to make their cars go fast. And they can take photos and videos and post them on whatever social media platform their heart desires. If fans could see the level of sophistication of a Formula One team’s car and garage setup, they would be blown away. And if they could take video and post to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat, more and more people could see this world and become intrigued to where they watch on TV and attend in person because the snippet of video they saw on their phone wasn’t enough. And if teams and drivers could post video of the happenings in the paddock on their respective social media platforms, the level of engagement would skyrocket. It would be a high tide that raises all boats, especially in the U.S.
Hangin' With runs each Friday in SBD Global.
